Beneath the Surface
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: All is quiet on LonLon Ranch until Dark Link strikes and takes the Hero of Time captive. Now that Malon's learning the truth about Link, she and Princess Zelda are on a journey to reunite the six Sages and save Hyrule once again. Malon x Link.
1. Prologue

Beneath the Surface

By Dixxy

Prologue

"She's taking forever."

"Indeed."

"What could be taking so long?"

"She is a busy woman."

"Perhaps she is bringing something. . . important?"

"Of course she is! What else would take so long?"

The last figure at the table remained quiet. He had already failed and had no right to speak amongst his brothers and sisters at the start of their meeting. Though the cold stares they had given him for nearly seven straight years were just now beginning to go away, he still remained silent on the matter and all other matters in question. He would wait for his time to speak, and when he spoke, they would listen.

It was not often that the all gathered for a meeting such as this. Mostly, they each left each other to their own devices – not so much as their meals were eaten together, for they each preferred the quiet confines of their own rooms for all of their daily routines. One of them had even remained in their room for two years straight – when she finally chose to leave her room, it came as a surprise to the other seven, but no one truly cared.

They were lying in wait for one of the five sisters. Though she was not the largest, or the smallest, or even the eldest (if their situation even permitted an eldest), she possessed an air of dignity that demanded respect. It was everything about her – from the way she spoke to whomever she happened apon to even the way she held her quills while she was writing. She was a woman of power.

And when she had demanded they meet. . . meet they did.

But they had been sitting at the table for close to an hour now. They were all beginning to get impatient. Though they respected their sister and saw her as their unquestionable leader, none of them denied that it was rather rude and downright ignorant of her to leave them waiting.

At long last, their sister emerged. All seven stood as she walked gracefully to the table, then took her seat. The rest followed suit, and the meeting finally began. Folding her hands neatly and placing that on the edge of the table, she briefly scanned the table to look at each of her siblings one at a time. The silence was eerie, and even the smallest of insects in the room did not dare to make a sound.

Finally, she cleared her throat. "As you are all aware, we have spent many moons suffering for what our brother has failed to do." The group nodded in silent agreement, including the failure. Many cold glares were suddenly fixated on his person, but not once did he flinch or show any signs of emotion. "I have come to the conclusion that we are all to blame."

This took her siblings by surprise, none more than the brother who had supposedly failed them. "What?" one of her other brothers demanded, standing and slamming his hands on the table. The table shook, the violent action catching his siblings by surprise. "How can you possibly say that we are all to blame? None of us were defeated by his hands! So how can you assume it's our fault! He is the one who acted weakly in the face of a challenge!"

Now angry at being called weak, the one who had failed his mission stood, slammed his hands onto the table, and glared at his brother. "How dare you insult me!" he spat. "YOU didn't have to face him, I did! You have no idea what that boy could do with a sword! NONE! Even my own skills with a blade were well above surpassed, and I have spent my entire existence perfecting them. That was no ordinary swordsman!"

"And neither are you!" the instigator shot back. "If you-"

Their sister held up her hand, effectively silencing them both. "We lost because we sent him alone," said the woman. The failure looked up at his sister in surprise. "Yes, that is why you failed, my brother. We believed too strongly in our own abilities and your own – we underestimated him. We were foolish to send you alone – even if a man can destroy an army on his own, he will always find help in the hands of a companion. Had we gone with you – perhaps even just one of us! – then perhaps the outcome would have been different and we would have stopped him before he reached his goal. Furthermore, we underestimated our enemy and as a result, we were defeated."

There was a quiet murmur across the table as the siblings quietly discussed this amongst themselves. "All right, so the rest of us staying behind here was why he failed," said another sister. She stood, crossed her arms over her chest, and continued. "But what good does that do us now? It's all over and done with – it's too late for us to stop him – he has already won, has he not?"

"No – not yet," she said. "My brothers and sisters of the dark, our ambitions are not yet extinguished!" She grinned, stood, and began to pace around the perimeter of the table. "It has been both seven years and mere moments since the so-called 'Hero of Time' vanquished Ganondorf and the six Sages sealed him in the Sacred Realm. But because of that silly Princess Zelda, everything that our dearest Link did to preserve the Temples and protect that stupid trinket have been undone – none of the Sages, including the princess, are awakened, and the Master Sword lies asleep in its pedestal. Though he is still a fine shot with an arrow, he is otherwise unarmed. Every trinket he collected over his journey is being held elsewhere. Every secret he found the key to solving is locked!"

"And what good will any of that do us?" asked another brother. "If we cause a ruckus the Sages will re-awaken and the Hero of Time will give us a taste of what he did to that imbecile Ganondorf! We cannot do a THING to rectify our fate and I don't understand how you plan to solve our problem! It is a fool's journey!"

"Do you not recall that our brother failed because we sent him after Link alone?" she said coldly.

Realization lit up across the faces of her siblings, and they all snickered evilly.

* * *

"Stop it, Link! That tickles!"

Link paid her no heed as he continued to mercilessly attack the sensitive skin beneath Malon's arms with his fingers, sending shrieks of laughter ringing through the barn of Lon-Lon Ranch. The blonde Hylian laughed as he pinned Malon beneath him, grinning wryly as she stared up at him with the beginnings of a stern pout crossing her face. "Malon, if you didn't look so cute when you're ready to rip my head off I'd stop doing this."

"Link? You're a jerk."

Link sighed as he looked down as the one woman who was able to make his head spin out of control. Nearby, Epona snorted at her master and mistress, ignoring the two as she began to drink from her trough. "And yet you're somehow able to stand the absolute horror of keeping me around."

Malon groaned, managing to free herself from the ranch hand's grasp and wiggled herself free from his embrace. She brushed the hay from her skirt, stuck her nose up with indignity, and was able to hold the pose for all of two seconds before Link's arms snaked around her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. "L-I-N-K!"

"Oh come now, Malon, you know I love you."

"You know I'll murder you if you don't quit it."

"Look at it this way – it's me or Ingo," Link said. He grinned playfully. "Oh I know, I know, you're always in longing for the HANDSOME, CHARMING, CHARISMATIC and CHARITABLE Ingo, and yet for some reason I'm the one your father would sooner take a pitchfork to if he believes a man has had you before our wedding night."

Malon swatted at Link, who laughed in return. "Well, in just a few more months not only will he NOT take a pitchfork to you for having me before my wedding night, but he's going to start asking about his grandchildren. THEN he'll start complaining about the lack of the sounds of little feet running across the farmhouse," she said. Then, she laughed. "But as for right now? You're going to have quite a time trying to convince him you were only tickling me in here."

"Oh come on, Malon, if I was going to seduce you before then it wouldn't be some place where just anyone could walk in on us," he said casually. He grinned. "I'd have taken you to that little nook in the shed – we both know very well that NO ONE would look for us there. But, as you can see, I haven't done that. . . _yet_." He winked at her in mock lust, clicking his tongue in her direction.

Malon sighed, leaning against one of the support beams of the stable. Undoubtedly he was joking, which was probably a good thing if he wished for his hide to remain attached to his back. "Link? Though you have the tendency to behave like a complete and undeniable beast, you really are a good man." Link casually slid up alongside her, gently placing his hands on her shoulder as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm glad you decided to stay here all those years ago."

"It's only been six and a half years," he said, gently taking her hand. Malon smiled as she felt his hand gently play with the ring around her finger, his eyes seeming to admire it. "And just a little over a month before we'll never have to be alone again." He leaned in closer, kissed her cheek, and gave her a gentle hug from behind. "Well, I have to go see what my next trick will be. Maybe I'll finally get to boot Ingo out of here."

"Oh, I doubt that," said Malon. "Ingo's a piece of slime all right, but let's face it, Link – the ranch is just getting bigger and bigger, and we can't afford to get rid of him. It'll be impossible to run the ranch with just you, me, and Dad. And if I'm with child it would be down to just the two of you."

Link sighed. "Ah, yes. That little matter. Well, maybe someday we'll get a few more cowboys here and THEN Ingo will find the heel of my boot where the sun doesn't shine." Malon laughed at the joke, gave her fiancé one last kiss, and exited the stable to complete the rest of her chores.

* * *

_Goddesses do I love that woman_, Link thought dreamily. He sighed, turned to Epona, and saw the cranberry colored horse was staring at him. "What? Like you haven't been trotting around Secretariat for the past few months!" Epona snorted with indignity and Link rolled his eyes. "And you think Hylians are silly."

Epona's answer was a well-placed kick to a bucket of water. Now thoroughly drenched, Link glared as the horse started to laugh at him. "Not funny," he said. "Now I gotta go change. Thanks a lot Epona – no oats for you tonight." Epona seemed to pale at the notion. Link laughed. "I'm just kidding – it's just a little water. But I'm warning you, if you keep that up. . . NO MORE CARROTS."

Epona whinnied in response, and Link laughed. "You know, for a horse as smart as you are, girl, you're very gullible." Epona snorted again, and Link stuck his tongue out at her. "Yes, I do know you're a very smart horse – you don't remember any of it, but you're quite possibly the best horse in all of Hyrule." Epona didn't seem to understand. Link shook his head. _Oh well._

Link exited the stable and made the quick journey to the farmhouse. As usual, his soon-to-be father-in-law was taking a nap by his favorite Cuccos, snoring lazily. Link rolled his eyes. At least when Talon was awake he was a good boss and a much better businessman than he let on. Though the man acted like a simpleton, Link had watched several would-be con-artists leave the ranch in defeat and many successful business deals that had resulted in the growth of the ranch to where it was today. Leaving Talon in his "happy place" as Malon called it, Link proceeded up the stairs to his bedroom.

Technically, Link shared his bedroom with both Talon and Ingo, but it was a rarity that either man retired in the bedroom. Talon often fell asleep with his beloved birds, and Ingo was often found in random places around the ranch with a bottle of brandy not too far away. In essence, he had the room to himself and decorated it largely in his taste – there were lots of plants in the room and a few wooden pieces that still bore their bark. The room had a very forest-like appeal, something that reminded him of his former home in the Lost Woods.

Link sighed as he undressed and grabbed a clean tunic from his half of the dresser he and Ingo shared. As he pulled the green article over his head, it reminded him of his extended childhood with Saria and the other Kokiri children, whom he had left shortly after the end of his adventure as the Hero of Time. He sensed that his body would begin to age eventually, and he would no longer fit in with his childhood friends. The departure of Navi wouldn't help much, either, and Mido would undoubtedly begin to mercilessly bully him again.

The six months following the end of his journey (or at least where his journey ended while he was in his younger form) were somewhat chaotic for Link. One by one, he returned the Spiritual Stones to the races from which they belonged (though the Kokiri Emerald was returned prior to his final departure from the forest). Though the Zoras recalled Link and Ruto's adventure in Jabu-Jabu, and the Gorons were always thankful for what he did in the Dodongo's cavern, he didn't feel like he truly belonged ANYWHERE in Hyrule. He wouldn't survive very long with the Zora or Goron tribes due to their environments and choice of delicacies, and he didn't even consider the Gerudos. That left the Hylians, but where in Hyrule would he run? Though he reasoned it was possible his birth parents may have had siblings or other relatives, he had no way of locating any of them, or, assuming he could find one, give a logical explanation to whatever distant cousin he found.

And then he remembered Lon-Lon Ranch.

That wasn't a half-bad idea. Talon was very fond of Link and had even offered him a job their when he was older (and, as a joke, Malon's hand – how ironic they were now engaged!). Malon, as a little girl, was delighted at the idea of another child her age to play with. Ingo was happy because he thought he would have someone to bully, but Link had no trouble fending off the egotistical ranch hand.

Though life on the ranch was quiet, Link loved it there. The work was hard, but the benefits were more than worth it. The food was good, his sleeping quarters were quiet, and he had many chances to ride Epona with Malon hugging him from behind as the two made business trips to Hyrule Castle, running orders for milk and eggs back and forth between the ranch and Hyrule's capitol.

As he and Malon grew older (a concept that was still fairly foreign to Link), he began to notice his feelings for her extended beyond mere friendship. At "fourteen" (or at least when he guessed his body had reached the physical age of fourteen) he began to notice Malon in a new light. Though she was always a pretty little girl, her appearance seemed to enhance with her age and rapidly approaching womanhood. Though she retained a very feminine figure, beneath her skin raced strong muscles she had earned after years of riding horses and performing farm work.

Malon was beautiful.

Before long, Link began to notice Malon eyeing him in return. At first he was confused, but after several long, hard looks in the mirror he realized that the Link who had defeated six temples, defeated Ganondorf and saved Hyrule was slowly beginning to emerge from his childish body. And yet this time, the Temple of Time would not return him to his former self. The thoughts made Link feel unsettled, until he recalled the Malon from his adventures had once called his "handsome".

Perhaps she was starting to fancy him again?

Curious, Link decided he would test this theory and mimicked some of the actions the young men in the Hyrule Market performed when they were after the affections of a young lady. Malon seemed flattered by each and every one, eventually rewarding Link with something he didn't truly understand the greatness of until it was bestowed apon him:

Their first kiss.

HIS first kiss.

HER first kiss.

And from that moment on Link knew in she had his heart.

Some years later, after saving up what little money he earned from the ranch (part of his pay was room, board, and meals), Link bought the very ring that now graced his beloved's hand. After convincing her to take a ride with him on Epona, he brought her to the shores of Lake Hylia.

Malon had been confused at the sudden expedition to the lake, but Link had chosen the last carefully. Though there were many places in Hyrule one could consider to be beautiful, this was one place that he connected with love. The reason was a simple one – Sheik had taught him the "Serenade of Water" to warp him to Lake Hylia during his journey. Since he didn't think it necessarily correlated to his previous engagement to Ruto (something he had long ago been able to talk the Zora princess out of – thank the Goddesses), he believed it had something to do with the lake itself.

And so, after playing Malon the Serenade of Water, he had asked for her hand.

And she accepted.

That was about a year ago, and their planned wedding date was rapidly approaching. Though it would be by no means a large ceremony, it meant a lot to them both. Malon was going to wear her mother's wedding dress, and Talon had given Link an advance in pay so he could purchase his own wedding suit (Talon would have leant him his, but it Link was too tall and too thin for it to fit correctly). They had arranged for a minister to marry them on the ranch, and then. . . well, Link wanted to go somewhere special with Malon, but he wasn't sure where. To make matters worse, he only had a month left to decide where they would take their honeymoon.

And the clock was ticking. . .

"How pitiful – the great Hero of Time has been reduced to a lowly ranch hand?"

Link froze in place, looked around the room, and was unsettled to find no one there. "Who said that?" he demanded. Grabbing a bow and slinging his quiver over his shoulder, he left the room and jumped the flight of stairs, landing soundlessly before Talon. Seeing that his boss was undisturbed, Link proceeded outside to discover what was going on.

* * *

"Link?"

Link turned to see Malon carrying a bucket of Lon-Lon Milk from the stable to the house. "Malon, get in the house – something's not right here," he said sternly. Malon stared at her fiancé in confusion. "I don't want to see you get hurt – please stay in the house. I'll find you once I figure out what's going on."

"Link, what's wrong?"

"I can't explain it exactly, but. . . I heard a voice in my room."

"A voice?"

"Humor me, Malon."

Malon sighed. "All right. Whatever." And with that, she opened the door to go inside while Link diligently pressed on towards the corral. Not wanting to be left out, Malon quickly left the house, closed the door behind her, and hid behind a crate of bottled milk. Peeking over the top, she began to watch.

_Just what is he up to!_

For several minutes, nothing happened. Link had knocked an arrow and was looking around with frantic interest, but there was nothing to shoot. After a short bit, he seemed to relax a little, but kept the arrow knocked. Malon blinked in curiosity. She'd never seen Link that frightened before – normally, Link was a very level-headed young man and very few things seemed worry him. So what was troubling him now?

Malon bit her bottom lip. She'd known Link for a very long time – just about seven years. Though for the first. . . well, perhaps month or so that she knew him, she had only seen him for little bits at a time. She wasn't quite sure why, but despite his young age, he and that little fairy of his seemed to be on some sort of a mission. Malon never found out what that mission was despite several efforts to try and loosen Link's tongue.

But nearly five months passed between the time she last saw Link with Navi and the day he arrived fairy-less at the ranch. He wasn't in the best of shape – seemed rather thin and malnourished, his clothing was a little ragged, and his body was lined with several bruises and small cuts with inexplicable origins. Malon had naturally rushed him inside, but before she or Talon could properly fuss over him, he asked if her father's offer of giving him a job was still standing.

That had stunned her father for several moments before he ordered – yes, ordered – little Link to bed, where father and daughter spent the next few days making sure he was well-fed, warm (winter was rapidly approaching at the time) and on his way to a swift recovery. During that time, Link, remained silent save for a few utterances of "thank you", or, when asked what had happened, "I don't want to talk about it". Not once did he ask for anything, but graciously accepted whatever food he was given. It was obvious he didn't want their more than generous hospitality, but his near starvation was something he could not fight whenever the smell of beef stew permeated the house.

Naturally, once he was fully healed, Talon humored Link and said he could have a "job", which at the time consisted of little more than the menial tasks Malon performed on a day-to-day basis. But over time Link grew to love the ranch, and the ranch grew to love Link. And as he began to grow into the young man Malon was pledged to marry, he became a well-weathered cowboy.

Ranch worked had shaped Link's childish body into one that, though still somewhat thin, was very well toned with soft yet powerful muscle. His voice, once very soft even for a boy, was now much deeper but a care-free tone in his tone only hinted at his age. His smile, Malon thought, was one thing that never changed – it was always genuine, sincere, and able to make her smile on her saddest days.

But right now Link was acting strangely. And Malon was worried.

Malon's eyes wandered a bit as she tried to discern what was bothering her beloved, and she suddenly saw something she didn't expect to see sitting atop the roof of the stable. Malon couldn't believe her eyes as her chin dropped in shock to see. . . Link? She shifted her gaze again to see Link was stilling in the field, and yet that other Link in dark clothing was on the roof, poised ready to attack with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. As he leapt silently in the air to strike him down, she screamed.

His fianc's screams caused Link to turn in time to see other Link leap at him, swinging the sword wildly above his head. Her Link shot an arrow at his twin, but missed and had to roll out of the way to avoid the attack. Malon watched in horror as Link parried the attack with the bow, which would not hold out for much longer against the solid steel of the other blade. Frightened for his life, Malon grabbed a nearby rock and prepared to throw it.

But someone from behind grabbed her hand. Malon quickly turned her head to see an older, chubby man dressed in a black monk's robe holding her back. Much to her surprise, his complexion was almost grayish in color. Instantly, she thought of a corpse and nearly wretched at the notion. The strange corpse man, however, didn't seem to be minded by her disgust. "I think not, little missy – my brother has a score to settle with that meddlesome Hero of Time, as do the rest of us," he said coldly. "We don't need your interference."

_. . . Hero of Time?_

"MALON! GET AWAY FROM HERE! RUN! RUN!"

Malon turned her attention back to Link, who was been picked up clear off the ground by the most frightening Goron she had ever seen in her life – no other Goron she had ever seen had a mane of silver hair or skin as gray as soot! And none of them were nearly as big as the one holding her squirming fiancé, whose many efforts, some of which had even draw blood from the Goron, were proving useless against the massive creature.

But Link was not giving up. Even though the Goron remained unmoved as he held the struggling Hylian above his head, the Hylian was fighting for his life. Screaming, spitting, swearing, kicking, and threatening to do horrible things to the Goron Malon couldn't fathom were just a sampling of what Link did. But even as the heels of his boots scraped against the Goron's face, drawing a thick river of blood from the wound, she knew that at least half of his attention was on her.

"Runad! Kiln!" the monk holding Malon suddenly called. The Goron dropped Link, who, much like the two other strangers, turned their attention to the gray man. "If you two paid closer attention, you would see our little Hero of Time seems greatly concern for this little girl." With a speed Malon wasn't sure was even Hylian, the man had her in a tight death grip with a dagger pressed against her neck. She felt a scream begin to form in the pit of her stomach, but primal fear prevented it from ever escaping her lips. Instead, a high pitched squeak emitted.

"MALON!" Link cried, reaching towards her. The man stepped back, and pressed the blade slightly harder into her neck. Though it did not reach the precious life support of her jugular vein or her throat, it was enough to create a small cut that drew just enough blood to visibly drip down her neck. Link froze in place, unsure of what to do.

"Now, listen closely, BOY," said Malon's captor. "You feel for this girl?"

Link slid back into a standing position. Sensing defeat, his face seemed to loose emotion. "I don't care what you do to me. I really don't. But please. . . don't hurt Malon," he said. He looked up at her, sadness in his eyes. "I would never, ever be able to live with myself if she died and I could do nothing to save her."

From there, the other Link (Malon noted this man also looked like a corpse) slid up behind her fiancé and wrapped a casual arm around his neck. Link seemed to instantly recoil at the gesture, but only gave her twin a glare in response. "I'd say you're sweet on her – maybe you've even tumbled under the sheets with her, hmm?"

"How dare you question Malon's honor," Link said through gritted teeth.

"I'd say that would be a 'no' with a hint of a 'but I wouldn't mind that'. Wouldn't you agree, Runad?" said other Link as he turned to face the Goron. Wordlessly, the Goron nodded. "Just as I suspected. Noble and honorable as you may be, you still have the hot blood of a young man coursing through your veins."

Link's face was now flushed, and his eyes were closed. "She is my fiancé."

"Oh, so THAT'S it!" said the evil twin. He snickered. "Now I understand." He turned his gaze towards Malon. "Lucky girl – not every girl in Hyrule would get such an opportunity. . . though I can tell you right now, you won't get that chance. I'm sure you'll spend what would have been your wedding night within the cold earth or crying for your poor, beloved LINKY-POO."

"You will NOT harm Malon!" Link snapped, pushing his twin away. Malon's captor tightened his grip again. She let out a cry. Link gaped at her, clenching his fists in frustration as he turned his glare back to the other Link. "Let her go! I'm not amused by whatever it is you're doing and I will NOT allow you to hurt her!"

"Truth be told, I don't want to hurt her, either," said the twin, holding up his hands. "That's not what I was sent here to do. For all I care the girl runs off and joins the Gerudos." He slinked his way behind Link, wrapping an arm around the other as he leaned forward to breathe into his ear. "My goal. . . is _you_."

* * *

Link's eyes widened. "What?"

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere!" said Dark Link. Malon watched as the twin began to circle her beloved. "Let's test how much you love your little farm girl, shall we? I'll make you a deal. My brother will let the little brat go if you surrender yourself to me. We'll go on a little trip, and your fiancé will be safe."

"LINK!" Malon screamed.

Link stared blankly at his twin. He seemed to be thinking over what was said very carefully – this wasn't hesitation, but rather contemplation. This was a delicate situation – one false move could result in his or Malon's death – possibly both. "What you're saying is that if I allow you to kidnap me, you'll let Malon go unharmed," he said. The evil twin nodded. "I understand."

"So, what is your decision?"

Link turned to look at Malon forlornly. His anger was tapering off, a soft, gentle look in his eyes. "Please. . . just let me say good-bye to her one last time. If you allow me to say good-bye and promise to let her go unharmed, I will go with you without a fight. That is my only request."

Dark Link seemed to think over before finally nodding. "All right. You have one minute. Auron, drop the girl." The old man that Link once thought he knew let Malon go, and the instant his grasp on her was gone she ran into Link's waiting arms, crying hysterically into his shoulder. Link embraced her, burying his face into the softness of her red hair, savoring it for what he thought may be the last time. . .

_. . . unless. . ._

A flicker of hope found its way to the back of Link's mind. As quietly as he could, he reached one hand into his belt loop to retrieve his last shred of hope. EVEN if he was only able to drop it on the ground, that might be enough. _It isn't my safety that's key here – what Dark Link is after may be far graver than just my life. . . and if that's true. . ._

Link slipped the item into the hem of Malon's skirt. "You have one chance, Malon, so listen carefully," he whispered. Malon sniffled, but appeared to be listening. "Go to the castle with Epona and ask to see Princess Zelda – the first answer you find will be all the information you'll need."

"I don't understand," she sobbed.

"Please Malon," he begged. "The princess will explain much of what's going on here, but you have to get an audience with her first and explain every detail of what happened here that you can remember. I know you can do it, my love." Gently, Link kissed the top of her forehead. Malon looked up into his eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you, Malon."

And in a bright flash, Link was gone.

* * *


	2. Chapter One

Beneath the Surface

By Dixxy

Chapter One

The sun was situated high in the sky, beaming down hot rays of light onto the people in Hyrule Castle's Marketplace, where the Hylians and the occasional non-Hylian were moving at a more leisurely pace, spending more time in shops fortunate enough to have cooler interiors. Those who were outside with fanning themselves with whatever make-shift fans they had or were sitting in the shade. Nearby, a collection of small children had decided to play in the fountain in the center, shrieking and laughing as they splashed each other and rough-housed in the crisp water. Two royal guardsmen nearby saw the act, but were too hot to reprimand the children for their simple, effective, and yet very illegal method of cooling off.

At it was because so few people roamed the streets that Malon and Epona were easily able to move through the Market. This surprised the farm girl greatly – on her previous expeditions to town with Epona, she and Link often found themselves standing in one place for hours as they tried to find a clear path of travel for the horse. But that was not an obstacle today, and none of the merchants or shoppers paid her any heed and continued to fan themselves or nap in the shade.

The quiet back-streets of the capitol city would eventually prove to be deserted for all but a few homeless alley cats searching through the garbage for lunch. Malon watched them, only half-curious to see how they fared in collecting their meals of half-eaten fish carcass. She gripped the reigns of her the horse tightly, letting Epona lead the way to the castle.

The hour or so following Link's kidnapping had been traumatic and chaotic for Malon. Her first instinct was to find her father for help, but was disappointed to find that, unlike she and Link had initially thought, he'd been drugged rather than simply napping. By what, Malon wasn't exactly sure, but aside from a heavy odor on his breath there didn't appear to be anything wrong with him – a heavier drug or poison would have long since given him some sort of symptom, so she concluded he was safe for the time being.

She would have searched for that miserable excuse for a man Ingo, but then recalled he had left that morning to "visit an ailing relative of his in the next country". Malon wasn't quite sure she believed his story (she and Link were half-certain he was just trying to weasel Talon out of a paid vacation), but as she had no proof otherwise, Ingo was gone.

Malon was alone and scared.

Or. . . was she?

Naturally, her next instinct was to find Epona, who was still in her stall at the stable. Though Epona was unharmed from the ambush, she was well-beyond panicked. Undoubtedly, the horse had sensed something was wrong, and even with the aid of Epona's Song it took Malon a few minutes to calm the horse down. Once Epona seemed better, she was lead out of her stall and saddled up.

Though she wasn't sure why, she decided that maybe there really WAS something to Link's instruction to find Princess Zelda. Good news was at least Malon knew how to get to Hyrule Castle. Trouble was, she wasn't sure how Link thought she was going to get inside the castle to see the princess. Sure they'd been to the castle on ranch business, but they only dealt with a few workers from the kitchen – never anyone as important as the princess herself.

As Malon was securing the last buckle, she heard something drop to the ground and saw, much to her amazement, a small burgundy book. Apon closer inspection, it was a crudely made notebook with yellowing parchment in its middle and a piece of twine holding it closed. Malon had never seen it before, and then remembered that Link had passed something to her in their final moments together.

_"The first answer you find will be all the information you'll need."_

_He must have meant the first page of this book! _And now, hoping beyond hope that what she found on the first page wasn't the result of a delusion by Link (or worse, her own insanity), Malon was making the trip to the castle to seek an audience with the second most powerful Hylian in all of Hyrule. Clutching the horse's reigns tighter, Malon shut her eyes and hoped for the best.

* * *

It was less than half an hour later that they reached the gate by the castle. This place, Malon recognized, was where her second meeting with Link had taken place. It was here that she had asked him to find her father for her, since he had not returned from the castle and she was beginning to worry. Link had smiled, told her he would find her father, and sure enough, she soon saw her father running through the front gate, begging for forgiveness. Link, however, was no where to be seen.

Malon's eyes widened in realization. That was right! Link HAD gone to Hyrule Castle before! Though that didn't explain exactly why she was to have an audience with the princess, it DID hint that perhaps he and the princess were old friends of some sort and, perhaps, he expected Zelda to somehow be able to help him.

After all, it was rather odd that Link sent Malon to Zelda. Though second from the top, what was stopping him from sending her to see the king? Did he not trust the King of Hyrule? Malon shook her head – no, that was a silly thought. And besides, he seemed very certain that this princess would know what he was talking about. But why her of all people?

_Never mind, Malon – none of this is making any sense!_

"Good afternoon, Ms. Malon!"

Malon looked up and noticed that the guards had seen her. Of course they recognized her – she and Link had been through enough times to deliver and take orders for farm products that her face was far from foreign. But this request might not be something they'd take a shine to. Swallowing and praying to the goddesses, she spoke up. "Um, I'm here to see Princess Zelda?" she said quietly.

Malon watched in embarrassment as the two guards doubled over in laughter. One was already on the ground, while the other was holding onto his spear for support. "Oh, Ms. Malon! That was such a clever joke! But my dear, you and I both know you are to speak with the chef on your visits to Hyrule Castle to take care of matters pertaining to the ranch. Princess Zelda, though wise and beautiful, knows nothing of how to run a kitchen!

"But I was told to ask for the princess," she said. "Please, it's urgent! My-"

"Well, you can't see her," said one of the guards, giving her a sarcastic smile.

This was humiliating Malon to no end! What in Hyrule was Link doing! Before she turned Epona around, however, she remembered what she found on the first page of Link's notebook. Perhaps this was the answer she needed to gain admittance to the castle, as silly as it seemed to her. Leaving the book where it was in Epona's saddlebag, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

"_La, la-la, la-la-la, la-la, la, la-laaa la-la. . ._"

Though Malon felt incredibly silly singing the few notes she found scribbled on the first page, the guards didn't seem to share the same emotions. Both had a dumfounded look on their face, one hanging his mouth agape as the other had nearly fallen to the ground. Malon stopped singing, wondering if she's done something wrong.

"Why didn't you tell us it was royal business?" said one of the guards.

"Um-"

"Never mind that!" the other said, yelling at her fellow guard. "Go tell Princess Zelda that she has a visitor who just sang the song of the Royal Family! I don't know why or how Ms. Malon came across the song but she did and she wishes to see the princess!" Once he finished and his friend ran off, the guard turned towards Malon. "If this is some kind of trick, I will warn you – the princess' caretaker and bodyguard will not take nonsense lightly. But, if your business is as dire as you say it is, then she will do everything in her power to make your visit a pleasant one." He stamped his spear on the ground, and the gates opened. Politely, Malon nodded to the guard as she and Epona trotted through the gates. However. . .

_By the goddesses, how did Link come across the song of the Royal Family?_

_

* * *

_

". . . a farm girl?"

"Yes, Your Highness – her name is Malon and she is the daughter of Talon, the master of Lon-Lon Ranch," said the young guard who had come seeking her in her private garden. Zelda and Impa had been playing chess when the interruption had occurred and were now paying close attention to the nervous young man. "She sang the song of the Royal Family and asked to see you."

Impa raised an eyebrow. "That's odd. How did she come across it?"

"We do not know, but she seems distressed," said the guard. He cleared his throat, then seemed to think. "Come to think of it, I don't usually see her come alone. Normally she is in the company of her father or one of the ranch hands, but we saw neither man with her today. It was just her and the horse, Epona. I do know that something seems very wrong and she's very upset."

"Neither? So it's one ranch hand she appears with?" said Zelda._ Epona. . . wasn't that. . .?_

"Yes – he's a young man by the name of Link-"

_Link? Din's Fire something's happened to him! _Realization lit up in Zelda's eyes and she immediately gave an order. She stood and narrowed her eyes. "Send her in here at once – this will be a private audience and no one is to disturb it. If I find so much as one page boy eavesdropping I will personally see to it that receive a light but memorable punishment. Is that clear?"

The guard saluted her and ran off.

"So Link has been working as a farmhand?" asked Impa.

The princess nodded, calming now that the order had been given. Then, worry began to set in. "I guess so – now that he knows he's a Hylian he wouldn't be able to stay in the Lost Woods," said Zelda. "But what does he think he's doing by teaching this Malon girl Zelda's Lullaby? We drilled it into his head that it was a sacred melody and he wasn't supposed to share it with just anybody! She had better have a good reason for Link teaching her that song or else I'll have Link's head myself!"

"Come now Princess – is that anyway to treat the man who saved your land and your life?" said Impa, tapping her fingers on the table before them. "I understand you would not literally decapitate him, but Link understands very well the power of that song. My guess is that something has happened, and this something is preventing him from reaching you. Therefore, perhaps this girl is the only one who could reach you."

Zelda lowered her eyes. Impa did have a point. Link took his role as the Hero of Time very seriously – giving his friend the royal song would NOT be something he would do unless something had happened. What that something was she was not sure, but a sudden sense of dread began to wash over her. Yes. Something horrible had happened, and now Link was reaching out for help through this farm girl. "All right. We will wait for the girl to come to us."

Quietly, the door adjacent to the garden creaked open. Zelda turned her head to see one of her guards and a young woman she didn't recognize conversing in the door frame. With a nod, the guard gestured for the girl to enter. Once she was in the confines of the garden, the door closed behind her, and she jumped.

Zelda studied the girl carefully. She was dressed simply enough, and did, indeed, appear to be a farm girl. Her shirt was short sleeved, white, a bordered with simply blue embroidery that had more than likely been done by her own hand or her mother's. Soft crimson hair ran down her back and framed the soft features of her face, accenting her deep blue eyes. She wore a long pink skirt with an apron that lacked a bodice, and peeking out from the edges of the skirt with well-worn brown work boots. The only luxury the girl seemed to have was a ring on that Zelda only noticed because it reflected in the ray of the sun.

"Welcome, Ms. Malon," she greeted.

* * *

Malon swallowed hard as she stared at the two women before her. Though still a very good distance away, it was very easy to see which of the two was the princess Zelda, and which of the two was the Sheikah bodyguard, Impa. Wringing her hands together, she began to step forward.

"Don't be afraid," the princess beckoned. She was smaller than the other woman and far more elegantly dressed. Though Impa dressed more like a mercenary than a royal attendant with a light armor and tight clothing that showed the muscular framework of the woman, Zelda was quite similar to what Malon had envisioned her to be. She wore a brilliant dress made of purple, white, and pink silk with two white gloves running up to her elbows. Each ear was pierced with ruby stones, accented by two tendrils of blonde hair that hung over them. The princess stood as Malon neared, until the two were standing face to face.

Nervous, Malon reached for her skirt to curtsey before the princess. "I am sorry to disturb you, your highness, but I am afraid something is terribly wrong, and I-" Zelda gently placed a finger to Malon's lips, halting any further speech. She looked up at the princess, who smiled kindly to her and beckoned Malon to take a seat at the table where she and her bodyguard had been playing chess. Inexplicably, there was a third, empty seat. Cautiously, Malon sat down and waited for Zelda to continue.

"On occasion one of the pages will wander in here and watch our games," Zelda explained. "But for now our game will be halted. I was told that you are the daughter of Master Talon, and yet you sang my childhood lullaby. This, you see, has caused some confusion amongst the guards."

"I don't understand, Your-" Malon started. She was halted again by the princess.

"Please, call me Zelda," said the princess. Malon nodded, and Zelda continued. "The lullaby you sang has been passed down through my family for generations and is proof of affiliation with the Royal Family. Only a few of our messengers, my father, myself, Impa, a few members of the court and one other soul know the song well enough to play it. And now there is another person who knows this."

Malon lowered her eyes. "It wasn't exactly taught to me," she said. She looked between Zelda and the still silent Impa. "The other person who knows this melody is Link, is it?" Zelda and Impa exchanged a quick glance before both nodded. Malon sighed. "He didn't have time to teach it to me – instead, he gave me this." She produced the notebook, within which several notes to several songs had been inscribed. "He told me that I need to pay attention to the first answer I found – the song I sang for the guards."

Gently, Zelda took the book and began to flip through the pages. "Zelda's Lullaby, Saria's Song, Epona's Song, Sun Song, Song of Time, Song of Storms, Prelude of Light, Minuet of the Forest, Bolero of Fire. . ." the princess mumbled aloud. She raised her eyebrow and stared at Malon in curiosity. "Link gave you this? I know exactly what this notebook is and it seems strange he'd give it to anyone."

"Well, Link told me to tell you exactly what happened prior to my arrival here," said Malon. She began to recount what she could remember from the moment he left the house with the bow and arrow to the moment she arrived at the castle gates. Zelda and Impa listened intently, seeming to take in everything she was saying. "The strange thing was is that the evil Link called him the Hero of Time. Zelda, do you know what this means?"

Zelda nodded solemnly. "I understand why he was called the Hero of Time, but I am afraid I do not understand where his twin and accomplices came from," she said. "It sounds to me as if he was greatly concerned about your well-being – are you two good friends since he began work as a ranch hand?"  
Malon began to twist her engagement ring on her finger, blushing slightly. "Link has been on the ranch since we were both children – he has no family and we were the only place he could go to. Over the years we became closer until last year when he proposed to me. Link. . . he is my fiancé."

"You're his. . .?" Zelda asked in surprise. Impa also seemed mildly surprised, but a faint smile crept onto her face. Malon nodded, her cheeks still slightly red. Zelda sighed, smiling slightly as she shook her head. "If he were here I would give him my most sincere congratulations and wishes of good luck. . . and of course these also extend to you as well, dearest Malon – Link is a good man and I know he will make you happy."

"Thank you, Zelda," said Malon.

Zelda smiled and then took on a serious tone. "Now, it would seem as if our next goal is to ensure you two live to see your wedding day, but before we take any action I will explain the meaning of your fianc's title as the Hero of Time," she said. "You have heard of the Triforce, correct?"

"Isn't that just a legend?" Malon asked. "When I was a child, I would wait in the Market for my father, and sometimes there was an old man there who would tell us stories. One story was about the essence of the goddesses, the Triforce, and how it was left behind after they created Hyrule. But it isn't true. . . is it?"

"Yes – very true," said Zelda. "The Triforce is very real. It currently resides in the Sacred Realm, where it is protected by the Sage of Light." Malon didn't understand this reference, but she continued to look at the princess with a smile on her face. "I didn't expect you to know of the Sages. Very well. After they placed the Triforce in the Sacred Realm, they then needed to protect it from unworthy hands. The goddesses created six temples where six Sages would resides – five of them are here in Hyrule, and the last, the Light Temple, is in the Sacred Realm. It is also in this Temple that an evil king is imprisoned, but for now we are not in danger of him breaking free."

"I am one of the five remaining Sages," said Impa. "The Shadow Temple resides in Kakariko Village. The Fire Temple is the closest neighboring Temple, the Forest Temple after that. The Water and Spirit Temples are clear across Hyrule from where we sit."

"It is the Sages' duty to protect the Sacred Realm and, if need be, aide the Hero of Time whenever Hyrule is in danger. There is also a seventh Sage who is the leader of the other six – I happen to be this last Sage," said Zelda. She nodded softly to Malon, who seemed awestruck at this wild story. "And now begins the story of Link, whom you have discovered is the legendary Hero of Time. Does this sound strange to you?"

"Yes, but I won't be surprised if it gets stranger," she said, shaking her head.

"Good. Many years ago, there was a great war in Hyrule – this I'm SURE you have heard of. Many tragedies occurred during this war, but one such tragedy directly involves your soon to be husband. You see, it was during this war that Link was born from his mother's womb."

Malon's eyes widened. "But that war ended thirty years ago! Link is only eighteen!"

Zelda lowered her eyes. "When Link was still an infant, his mother tried to escape the war and somehow ended up in the Lost Woods, where the little Kokiri children live. By this time she was seriously wounded from her flight and would soon die, but before she breathed her last she appeared before a being known as the Great Deku Tree."

"The Great Deku Tree was a powerful tree in the Lost Woods who looked over the Kokiri and their guardian fairies. Taking pity on the tiny baby and his dying mother, the tree adopted Link and raised him as one of the Kokiri, shielding him from his Hylian heritage for many years. Time means nothing to the Kokiri as they never age, so I'm sure even Link couldn't tell you exactly how old he was. For all we know he spent well over fifty years in those woods, never aging a day past eleven. Though you wouldn't know it by meeting a Kokiri, many may be hundreds of years old, but within the confines of their race, they do not age. Not even mentally do they age – they are eternally eleven years old in the way they appear, act, think, and talk."

"But how did Link not grow up if he was Hylian?" asked Malon.

"That much I do not understand, but somewhere around his eleventh birthday he became, in essence, an enigmatic Kokiri. This was somewhat evident to the other children, because he did not have a guardian fairy, and all Kokiri have a fairy. And for many years, he was the known as the boy without a fairy.

"It was seven years ago that things changed for Link, and it started with a man named Ganondorf, a Gerudo. Though the Gerudos are thieves, none of them are truly evil – this is merely their way of life. They never harmed their victims and, in fact, believed that by taking their money or food they would grant them 'good luck'. However, Ganondorf was a bad seed, and worse, he was a male. Males are very rare in their society, and whenever one is born he is proclaimed king. Ganondorf decided he wanted to be the King of Hyrule as well, and to do so he wanted the Triforce. But first he decided to trick my father into believing he was swearing allegiance to him – this was of course a lie, but my father didn't see it. I did, but he did not listen to me, for I was merely a child then. Impa and I knew we had to stop Ganondorf from reaching the Sacred Realm, or, possibly take the Triforce before Ganondorf could.

"But to get into the Sacred Realm, we needed the three Spiritual Stones. Each stone is guarded by a race or a specific being important to that race. The Great Deku Tree had one such stone, Princess Ruto of Zora's domain had another, and the last stone was a central fixture in Goron society. Ganondorf placed horrible curses on each of their locations in hopes of getting the stones from them so he could collect the Triforce.

"To the Deku Tree, he cursed it with a death curse. From the moment the spell was cast on him, the Great Deku Tree knew he would die, but he could not allow his curse to spread to the rest of the forest and leave the Kokiri unguarded. He called forth one of his fairies without a Kokiri, a young sprite named Navi, and assigned her to Link."

"So that's where Navi came from and why she left Link," said Malon. "When he found out he wasn't a Kokiri, Navi had no choice but to leave him. And then he came to the ranch so he could learn to be a Hylian. Am I right?" The princess and Impa nodded. "Oh good, at least I'm keeping up."

"With help from Navi, Link went inside of the Deku Tree and killed the source of the curse – a giant spider known as Gohma. The Great Deku Tree knew he was the Hero of Time, so he gave Link the Kokiri Emerald as his last gift and told him to travel to Hyrule Castle to find me.

_THAT'S why he needed to get into the castle all those years ago!_ Malon thought.

"When he came to me, I told him about Ganondorf and the other Spiritual Stones, then sent him on a journey to collect him. From there, we would get into the Sacred Realm and take the Triforce for ourselves so Ganondorf couldn't use to it take over Hyrule. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out," said Zelda. "Everything that happens after this point did at one point happen, but due to the Song of Time and the Sacred Realm, it was erased like a clean slate."

Malon shook her head. "I don't get it."

"Think of what happens next as drawings on a chalkboard," said Impa. Malon turned her attention to the Sheikah. "As Link continued his journey, his footsteps were recorded on this chalkboard. But when the journey was finished, someone took an eraser to the chalkboard and erased the markings. Though they were still there, they are no longer on the chalk board."

"Ganondorf launched an attack on Hyrule after Link retrieved the last stone. He arrived in time to see myself and Impa running from the castle. After sealing a message inside of a relic known as the Ocarina of Time, I threw it in the moat so Link could get it. He was able to get it, and from there proceeded to the Temple of Time – this is where the door to the Sacred Realm lies even today.

"But things took a horrible turn for the worse there. Though Link was able to open the Door of Time and draw what is known as the Master Sword form its pedestal, Ganondorf followed him in, took the Triforce, and as a result Link was sealed in the Sacred Ream for seven years. During this time, Link's body, now free from his enigmatic Kokiri state, aged. Once he awoke, Rauru, the Sage of Light, told him he was the Hero of Time – it was his job to awaken the other five Sages from their Temples and to defeat Ganondorf.

"Naturally, Link succeeded in his quest to awaken the Sages. It was then that I revealed myself to Link, for I had been masquerading as a Sheikah named Sheik. Sheik was able to help Link for most of his journey, but before he was set to enter the Spirit Temple, he was struck down by one of Ganondorf's minions and hung from a tree. It was a devastating loss, but we had to continue. From that point on, I took on the guise of Sheik and guided Link through the last temple.

"I revealed myself at the Temple of Time and lied to Link about Sheik – it would be easier for him not to know of Sheik's death, for he and Sheik were becoming good friends. If he assumed it had been me all along, then he would never have to feel the pain of loosing him, and that was something he didn't need at the time. It was after I presented Link with magical arrows that I was captured by Ganondorf and brought to his castle. Link followed Ganondorf, defeated him with the help of the other Sages, and then watched as the evil king was sealed in the Sacred Realm.

"From there, I used the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his past – but I sent him back to before the attack of Hyrule Castle, yet after he had the last Spiritual Stone. This would allow him to reclaim the seven years he had lost in the Light Temple. We were also able to lock Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm from that point, and since then no one speaks much of him or recalls his reign of terror. But only a few remaining souls recall his journey, and they are myself, Impa, Rauru, Navi, and of course, Link."

"Do you have any questions?" asked Impa.

Malon shook her head. "Only that Link is missing and we don't know where this twin came from," she said. "I must admit I do feel a little skeptical, but. . . I know in my heart it's true. Though Link is normally very happy and playful – in fact, we were joking around and playing in the barn shortly before the kidnapping – I've always sensed that he was always carrying some great burden that I couldn't help him bear." She sniffled.

"I have come to a few conclusions about Malon's story," said Impa. "One, from the way Malon described Link's reaction to his other half, it almost seems as if, well, Link KNEW him. Second, the descriptions of the Goron and Hylian sounds suspiciously like Darunia and Rauru, only they are not discolored as you pointed out. Perhaps there are more evil twins?"

Zelda's eyes widened. "As frightening a prospect that is, Impa may be right."

Malon chewed on her bottom lip in thought as she came to her own conclusion. Only a few people remembered the incident – Impa and Zelda were two, then Link, then Rauru, and last but not least. . . Navi! "You said that Navi remembers the whole adventure. So, that means she was by Link's side the whole time." Impa and Zelda looked at Malon in slight confusion, but nodded. "Do you think Navi might know something about?"

"That sounds plausible," said Zelda. "However, there is one small problem – I have no idea where Navi is. I KNOW that she left Link – after he returned to the past, he visited me one last time to inform me he had returned the Spiritual Stones to their proper places, and then he left. Navi was no where to be seen during this interaction, and I never saw him again."

The Sheikah woman coughed, getting the attention of the two young woman with her. "I think that with the events of his adventure, Link may have found himself at an abnormal cross-roads with himself. He grew up believing he was one thing, and, as is evident by his current occupation and engagement, decided to leave it behind – a decision I must say I might have made myself," said Impa. "Link didn't have any place to turn to. He couldn't remain with the Kokiri and he probably would not have adapted very well to life amongst the Gerudos, Zoras, or Gorons."

"Link did meet us before he lost Navi. . ." said Malon.

"When you have none of family given to you, run to the family you chose – hence, we went to the ranch and stayed there with you and your father to lead a quiet life," said Zelda. She cleared her throat. "None the less, we have work to do. I believe it's time that we called the remaining Sages together and explain the situation to them. As it stands we already have two of the Sages – Saria, Darunia, and Ruto will be simple enough to recruit, and from there we will make a decision on Nabooru."

"But that's only six," said Malon, counting on her fingers.

"Rauru should stay in the Light Temple – he has far too many responsibilities there, especially where it concerns Ganondorf. True, he's showing no signs of being able to escape but I don't want him to be left unguarded. That doesn't mean we'll exclude him – he DOES have an agent in this world and we may need to find him as well," said Zelda.  
"Provided he wants to wake up before dusk," said Impa.

Malon blinked. "Before. . . dusk?"

"He's a talking owl, to put it bluntly," said Zelda. "Kaepora Gaebora helped Link greatly during the beginning of his journey and once at the Spirit Temple – he is very wise and knowledgeable of the legends. Although he will do us little good in a combative situation, he can cover far more ground than any of us and will be good as a spy or messenger."

"So. . . where are the three we're going to find now?" asked Malon.

"'We'?" asked Impa.

Malon frowned. "I'm not going to sit around and do nothing – I'm going to help!"

"Oh really?" said Impa, standing up and letting Malon know just how much bigger she was. She gulped. "You have no idea what Link faced during his journey, and what he faces now may be even more troublesome. You've never fought a battle in your entire life! If you were killed-"

"I think it's an excellent idea."

Malon and Impa stared at the princess in shock. "What?"

"Impa, you are not speaking to one of the castle's hand-maidens. You are speaking to a girl who has spent much of her life working on a farm. Though I have never worked on a farm, I know it's hard work that requires a lot of physical endurance. Furthermore, she IS Link's fiancé – she should have a say in regards to what our plans are to find him. True, she probably hasn't faced any monsters but I'm quite sure she's no pushover."  
"But she's a girl!" said Impa.

Zelda cleared her throat. "Impa, how many Sages are there?"  
"Seven."

"How many 'girls' and how many 'boys' are there?"  
"Well, for women, there's you, myself, Saria, Ruto, and Naboru. For men there's Rauru and Darunia," said the Sheikah, mentally counting them off one at a time. Impa paused, then realized her mistake. "All right, you win. She can go BUT! We need to ensure that she'll be safe. We already know these dopplegangers have no qualms about hurting her if it means getting to Link."

Malon swallowed. "I'm not afraid."

_Well, Malon, that's the biggest lie you've ever told in your entire life._


	3. Chapter Two

Beneath the Surface  
By Dixxy  
Chapter Two

_I feel ashamed of myself_, Malon thought as the three women entered the Temple of Time. _Though this is perhaps the holiest place in all of Hyrule, I've never been here before. _However, neither Zelda nor Impa seemed to mind this, although the princess seemed to sense Malon's unrest and held her hand. Briefly, Malon recalled times that she had held onto her long dead mother's hand whenever she had been frightened as a child, and she suddenly felt a strong bond with the Hylian princess.

It was the following morning that she was taken to the Temple of Time – by now it had been two days since Link's kidnapping and Malon was getting more worried by the minute. Zelda and Impa assured her that Link was probably alive, for if the kidnappers had intended to kill him they would have done so at the ranch, and in all likelihood, would have killed her without hesitation. At the moment, they needed him alive. But that made Malon fear he was being tortured or worse. . .

_Wherever you are. . . _

The Temple of Time itself wasn't overly extravagant on the inside. It was, in short, a large, empty hall with two pedestals on either end. One was more of a platform that was easy to stand on and bore the symbol that represented the Triforce, as well as a circle with a strange emblem she had never seen before. Malon studied it in curiosity. Though the marking over the Triforce symbol wasn't familiar, the structure's design was. But where had she seen it before?

"That marks this place as the entrance to the Light Temple – there is such a marker at the entrance to the other five Temples," said Zelda, pointing to the platform. "The symbol you see along with the Triforce symbol is made to mimic the Light Medallion, the physical representation of the Light Sage's power."

Memories flooded back to Malon, and she remembered the night Link proposed to her at Lake Hylia. That was where he had taken her to play his ocarina for her and present her with the engagement ring she now wore daily. But as he played the song, a song that she had never heard before but made her heart swoon and her head spin, he was standing on a platform almost IDENTICAL to the one in the Temple of Time! _NOW I remember where I saw that before! _

"Then. . . there's a Sage with a Medallion at Lake Hylia!" Malon said, thinking aloud. Zelda looked at her in surprise, and Malon blushed, then gestured to the platform. "Link brought me to a symbol almost exactly like this on a small island in Lake Hylia. That was where he proposed to me."

"Ah, a romantic," said Impa. "I never would have taken Link for that kind of man."

"Each Temple also has a song to go with it – a Prelude, a Minuet, a Bolero, a Nocturne, a Requiem, and a Serenade," said Zelda. She smiled. "The song connected to the Water Temple under Lake Hylia is called the Serenade of Water, and I'm none too surprised that's why he took you there. Not only is the lake a beautiful sight to see, but to him it held an inner meaning."

"Wow. . ." said Malon. "That's so. . . romantic!"

"Just do yourself a favor, Malon," said Impa.

"What's that?"

"Whatever you do, don't let that story reach Princess Ruto's ears."

Malon wanted to ask why, but felt as if this would be something to ask Zelda at a later time.

While they had been walking, they had reached the other altar. This was more clearly an altar and stood as such. Its surface was covered in black obsidian with three hollows carved into the surface. "This altar is where the Spiritual Stones sit when one wishes to enter the Sacred Realm," said Zelda. She pointed to a large, square stone structure in the wall. "That's the Door of Time. Now, we need to contact Rauru so he can open the door for us."

"But don't you need Spiritual Stones to enter?" asked Malon.

"Not if you're on the other side," said Zelda, giving Malon a knowing wink. She cleared her throat. "I will warn you, however – you described one of the assailants as a chubby Hylian monk. If our evil twin theory is correct, then you're about to meet the good twin."

Malon gulped. Her experience with Rauru's evil twin (assuming it WAS this man's evil twin) hadn't been pleasant, and she rubbed the area of her throat where the dagger had cut her skin. It was only a small wound and, according to the princess, probably wouldn't leave so much as a mark once it was fully healed. None the less, it was still there and an eerie reminder of the encounter.

Zelda stepped up to the altar and placed her hands gently on the black stone. She looked up at the ceiling, and began to call to someone. She closed her eyes, concentrating deeply as she began to speak. "Rauru. . . your presence is needed in the realm of Hyrule. . . a time of darkness is descending and we need your light to guide us. . ."

The Temple of Time was suddenly filled with a loud, grinding noise as the Door of Time split in the middle and began to recede back into the walls. Malon watched in awed stupor as the structure seemed to move on its own, revealing a dimly-lit chamber that she couldn't see very far into. _Is that the Sacred Realm, or just another room to get to the Sacred Realm? _

"The chamber of the Master Sword is now accessible," said Zelda. From within the depths of the blackness a silhouette of a figure was forming. Once it came close, the figure stepped into the light of the Temple of Time and revealed himself to be an elderly, pudgy Hylian dressed in an elegant cream and burgundy monk's robe. Though his face was very serious, Malon couldn't help but feel as if he radiated with light and felt as if his gruff face was hiding a much kinder person on the inside.

But then she recalled the ambush as the ranch and the man who held the knife to her throat, threatening to kill her if Link did not surrender himself. Yes. The man who hurt her looked just like the man before them, only much kinder and full of light. She swallowed, staring at him with worry and fear. _No, Malon – this is NOT one of the men who took Link. But the resemblance is undeniable. . . _". . . we were right."

The man noticed Malon and flexed his upper lip, causing the mustache that graced his face to twitch. "Pardon, my lady?" he asked. He waddled his way to where Malon stood. Much to her surprise, when he stood facing her, they were the same height. This puzzled her – she had never been very tall, and yet this man was exactly her height. _Was the other man this short as well, or was I too panicked to notice?_ "You and I are the same height," Malon said without thinking. She instantly covered her mouth as the man took on a surprised look, staring at her in curiosity. "I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?"

"He's a little sensitive about his height," Zelda said. "Please don't mention it."

Rauru snorted. "I have grown happy with my height."

"Yeah, I'll say! That's because it would take a thousand of me to reach YOUR size!"

All eyes turned to the place from where the man had just come. Though at first glance it appeared as if no one were there, apon further inspection one would soon notice a small ball of floating, blue light that flew from the door into the main chamber of the Temple of Time.

It was a fairy.

And that fairy's name was Navi.

* * *

Though Navi had been originally very happy to be able to leave the Sacred Realm, Rauru's comment about his size made her realize that, once again, he was killing the joke that he was only happy to have her around because it made him feel taller. And after seven years of hearing it, it was getting old, and old jokes made Navi very cranky. 

But now that she was in the Temple of Time, Navi was a little confused. Yes, she had expected to see someone like Zelda standing at the Altar of the Spiritual Stones and it was no less of a surprise to find Impa in tow, but the third girl. . . wasn't that Malon? That girl from Lon-Lon Ranch? What's she doing here?

"Oh, thank the goddesses we found you!" said Zelda, rushing over to meet the fairy. She cupped her hands and held them before her. Taking the hint, Navi took a seat and gazed up at the princess quizzically. "It has been quite some time – have you really been in the Sacred Realm with Rauru all this time?"

"Well, someone had to help me keep an eye on the King of Evil," said Rauru. He smiled, and Navi rolled her eyes (a gesture the others in the room wouldn't see because her eyes were so small). "I also know that being a fairy, Navi doesn't need a lot of food or sleep. Plus, she has a tongue as quick and harsh as a whip – I figured Ganondorf needed a good tongue lashing, so she's been the perfect watchdog."

"I'm not a watchdog!" Navi said, temporarily forgetting Malon so she could bicker with the Sage of Light. "Yeah I spend a lot of time teasing him about it but I'm not playing guard duty! I'M just giving him grief because he locked me and Link in the Sacred Realm for SEVEN YEARS, TERRORIZED the Kokiri, tried to feed the Gorons TO A DRAGON, and froze ALL of the Zoras INTO A GIANT ICE CUBE! AND he had the NERVE to destroy Hyrule Castle and turn it into his personal penthouse, horde all of Hyrule's best horses for himself, drain Lake Hylia, set Kakariko Village ON FIRE and TORTURED Nabooru during those SEVEN DAMNED YEARS!"

"None the less, he's tired of hearing you call him 'Ganon-dork'."

Navi was about to say something else when she remembered Malon, who was looking at her a little nervously. Unlike the last time she had seen her when she was this old, she seemed much healthier and happier. Well, of course that was the case – her father was still the Master of Lon-Lon Ranch and any abuse Ingo put her through had never happened. She had a chance to have a happy childhood and as a result was even prettier than Navi remembered. "Malon?" she asked.

Malon nodded. "Yes, it's me, Navi."

Curious, Navi flew out of Zelda's hands to where Malon stood, hovering in front of her face. "It's been a while, but. . . Malon, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here – the Sacred Realm is a dangerous thing to toy with! You should go back to the ranch and pretend all of this never happened, okay?"

"It is all right, Navi – she is the one who alerted us that something was wrong," said Zelda. Navi turned to look at the princess in confusion. "Link has spent the past seven years as a farm hand on Lon-Lon Ranch, so naturally Malon was there to witness the incident. Link has been kidnapped, and one of the kidnappers, according to Malon, appears to be some sort of an 'Evil Link'. Link appeared to know this person and we wanted to know if you knew anything about it."

Navi nearly fell to the ground. "Link's been kidnapped?" she asked. _Link. . . oh Link I shouldn't have left you! _Though Link was not a Kokiri and it was a mutual understanding between the two that this meant Navi was no longer required to stay by his side and protect him, she suddenly felt overwhelmingly responsible for his kidnapping. The relationship between a fairy and their Kokiri extended well beyond mere friendship – it was a much more intimate pact, and knowing that he was in danger made her heart sink. Especially since he was in danger and, worst of all, alone. At least during their adventure together she had been there for him during most of their battles. But now. . . "Oh, poor Link-"

"Navi. . . please. . ." Zelda begged. "What do you know about this twin?"

"We called him 'Dark Link'," she said softly. Navi then took a seat on the Spiritual Stone altar. "Actually, we aren't exactly sure that's his real name- it just seemed like the best thing to call him at the time," she said, clearing her throat. "Anyways, it was in the Water Temple – maybe about half-way through it. Link and I entered a really big room shrouded in mist. It almost looked like were outside in a thick fog – there was even a tree or two in there. And then we saw this dark mirror-image of Link, so he fought it, got rid of it, and then received the long-shot. But, wasn't that one of Ganondorf's minions sent to protect Link from unlocking the Water Temple?"

"It would seem as if a lot of this situation involves that Temple," said Impa.

"And that wasn't supposed to be an evil twin in that room!" said Zelda. Navi looked at the princess in surprise. "I used my powers as the last Sage to pinpoint the major battles Link had to face in the five temples during the war, and an evil twin was not one of them. Furthermore, it should have been a giant jellyfish monster similar to those you saw in Jabu-Jabu guarding the longshot."

"We may have a third party involved here," said Rauru, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "It sounds to me as if this 'Dark Link' character entered the Water Temple either before Link and Navi did, or, sometime after, and was able to kill the jellyfish before they reached that room so he could face them instead. The question is, why? What was his motive to do that, and why come back now?"

Navi groaned in frustration. "He didn't say much while we were there – he just fought Link and vanished after the last blow. We just assumed he was another one of Ganondorf's traps, but I guess not." The fairy flew back into the air. "So what do we do now?"

"That's a good question I don't have an answer for," said Zelda. "My best guess is to collect the remaining four Sages and bring them here – unfortunately we'll need to have another round of story telling like we had with Malon. I would especially like to question Ruto – being the Water Sage, she may know something."

"But she doesn't remember anything! That's no good!" said Navi.

"I may have a few things that could help," said Rauru. "One, I have a way to re-awaken their memories in the Chamber of Sages. That much won't be a problem. The other, though perhaps more useful, may be useless to us if we have no way of even attempting it." The old man waddled back towards Malon, looking her up and down. Malon seemed nervous and began to rub a small ring on her finger.

_What's that ring on her finger? _Navi wondered. _She didn't have that before. . .  
_

Rauru bowed before Malon, a gesture that took the girl by surprise. "I'm sorry, my lady – Malon, is it? – but it seems as if we have skipped proper introductions. I am Rauru, the Sage of Light and the Guardian of the Temple of Light. Now, if it isn't too much, may I ask exactly how it is you and Link became such good friends?"

"Malon's the daughter of Master Talon, the owner of Lon-Lon Ranch," said Navi. "It's where most of Hyrule's food comes from, most notably Lon-Lon Milk. Link and I stopped at Lon-Lon Ranch a few times during our adventure –Malon probably remembers the encounters we had when she was younger, but when we got older. . ."

"Link was at the ranch after he left the Temple of Time?" Malon asked.

"Yes," said Navi. She looked to princess, who nodded. "After Link and I were locked away in the Temple, Ingo decided to swear allegiance to Ganondorf for his own gain – your father was thrown off the ranch and Ingo became its new owner. He was very bad the horses and treated you poorly as well. When Link and I emerged, we eventually realized we were going to need a horse, so we went to the ranch and found it in that state. Using Epona's Song to let her know we were a friend, Link and I challenged Ingo to a race. We won, but Ingo tried to lock us in. Link and I escaped, and after that your father returned to the ranch and everything went back to normal."

At that instant, something inside of Malon snapped, and everything that she had heard over the past several days hit her in an instant. _Link's been kidnapped. Link is the legendary Hero of Time. He lived in an entirely different timeline that no one but Princess Zelda and a few others seem to even know about you. You're going to marry into this crazy situation. _

"Really," Malon said dryly, her mind running ablaze as, little by little, things began to fall into place. A nearly crazed look entered her eyes, and it was clear that something was wrong by the eerily happy smile that crossed her face. "So, Link saved Lon-Lon Ranch because Ingo was being an ass hole. Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. No, no, no, this all seems perfectly FINE to me!" By this point, Zelda and Impa exchanged a worried look. Though Malon had been fine up until this point, it appeared as if it was beginning to get to her.

"Doesn't that sound a little far-fetched to you?" Navi asked.

"Oh, silly Navi, these past two days have been a little 'far-fetched'," said Malon, giving the fairy an even more fake smile. She turned to Princess Zelda as the crazed look seemed to turn psychotic. "First, Link leaves the farmhouse with a bow and quiver, and is subsequently kidnapped by his own evil twin, a Goron, and the evil twin of Mr. Rauru here. Before he leaves, he passes me a book filled with ocarina songs and tells me to speak with Princess Zelda. And now she tells me that Link is the legendary Hero of Time whose job it is to make sure this Ganondorf person doesn't take over Hyrule! Right now I'm a little UPSET with our Mr. Hero of Time because I find out about all this after we find out there's a plague of Evil Twins running around Hyrule!"

"You seem upset-" Navi started.

And finally, after two days of extreme stress and wild stories about her would-be husband, Malon lost her composure. "OF COURSE I'M UPSET!" Malon shouted. "I've been LIED to for the past SIX AND A HALF YEARS! Just who does he think he is, anyways? My father and I have given him a home, a job, and I have given him my heart! When did he ever plan on telling me any of this! I've told him some of my deepest secrets and he hides THIS from me? How dare he! HOW! DARE! HE!" And then she collapsed into a fit of sobbing tears. Zelda and Navi rushed to her side, the princess holding the sobbing girl as she consoled her and gently told her that it would all be all right. Navi watched on, not sure what to do as Malon stopped crying, then fell limp in Zelda's arms.

_Oh Malon. . . you're worried about Link, too, aren't you?_

* * *

Malon opened her eyes sometime later to find she was lying on a cold, stone floor. After several moments of trying to regain her consciousness, she recognized it as the floor of the Temple of Time (mostly because she was staring at said Temple's ceiling). Nearby, she could hear Zelda and the two Sages discussing something. What it was, Malon wasn't sure she cared. She sniffled, curled herself into a ball, and shut her eyes as she remembered what had happened before she blacked out. A large knot was forming in her stomach, and she felt like she was going to vomit. _How could I say those things?  
_

_ "How dare he! HOW! DARE! HE!"  
_

_ I didn't mean it. . . I didn't. . .  
_

_ "I've been LIED to for the past SIX AND A HALF YEARS!"  
_

_ I swear, I love you. . .  
_

_ "Just who does he think he is, anyways?"  
_

_ I'm so sorry, Link. . . I'm so sorry. . . _

"Hey, Malon? Mal-on? Are you okay now?"

Malon opened her eyes to see Navi standing before her face (which from her position on the floor gave the fairy good reason to stand instead of fly). The fairy seemed genuinely concerned for her despite the fact she had just ranted and raved about her former charge. Malon didn't feel like speaking with her, but Navi didn't want to leave her alone. "Navi. . . I didn't mean any of that. I really didn't. I just. . ."

"Don't worry about it," said Navi, taking a seat on the floor. "Considering everything that's happened, I think you more than deserved that little nervous breakdown. Stop beating yourself up over it. Link snapped at me quite a few times while we were exploring temples – it was STRESSFUL, and people are unpredictable when they're stressed. Heck, Link threw me into a wall once and then ran out of the temple – he wouldn't go back in for three whole days he felt so bad about it. You're stressed, too. ANYONE would have gotten a little crazy there. Poor thing – you didn't ask for any of this. But I have to say this in Link's defense – I don't think it's something he likes to talk about and he probably thought you'd be happier if you continued on without being any wiser to it. They say ignorance is bliss, and it sounds to me as if he just wanted you to be happy."

More sniffling. "I feel like a crying brat."

"You are not a crying brat – you're just a living, breathing, girl with normal emotions and that's how some people react to strange things," said Navi.  
"I'm sure that most other women in Hyrule would have done the exact same thing and gone on a tirade about how much they hate the man they gave their heart to." Navi paused, thinking this over. Then, the fairy grinned, and she began to bob back and forth. "So. . . you said you gave him your heart, did you?" Glowing slightly brighter, Navi began to giggle at Malon's expense. "Aw, you don't have a little itty-bitty crush on Link, do you?"

Malon frowned. "You're just teasing me now." "So you DO like him! Tee-hee-hee!" Navi lifted off the ground and started to flip in mid-air. Then, because Navi's nature as a fairy was to be overly playful and at times a bit annoying, she began to sing. "Link and Mal-on, sittin' in a tree – K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love-"

Luckily, the farm girl knew how to shut the fairy up. She sat up, then held up the hand with the engagement ring and wiggled the jewelry before Navi. This caused the fairy to stop short in mid song, looking at the trinket in curiosity. "And then comes marriage, correct?" she said with a sly grin. Navi fell to the floor is astonishment. Now calm, Malon began to twist the ring on her finger again. "We're set to be married next month."

Navi twitched slightly, and slowly lowered her jaw as she gaped at Malon. "Malon. . . you and Link are getting MARRIED?" Navi asked. The farm girl nodded, and Navi's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow. He really is growing up. And to think that I missed it."

The fairy lifted herself off the ground and flew to Malon's shoulder, where the girl turned to face her companion. "When I was just a little fairy, I was always told that taking care of the Kokiri was simple because they would all remain eternal children. They would never grow up and would always stay just the way they were until they eventually passed away. But. . . I was never supposed to have these feelings. I wasn't told I was going to be charged to a Hylian, and Hylians grow up so. . . quickly. I don't know how to handle this, Malon. I never thought. . ."

"Navi. . . I think that once we find Link, you two should have a talk. I'm not the one you should be having this conversation with," she said. She smiled. "Don't worry too much, though – I love Link very much and I'll make sure to take good care of him for you, all right?"

"Hmm. So that's what that pretty little trinket is – an engagement ring. By the goddesses, I think there may be a way you could help us yet." Malon and Navi turned their attention to Rauru, who was watching them from not too far away and evidently heard enough of their conversation to know about the engagement.

"What?" asked Malon.

Impa snorted. "So Malon and Link are getting married – how does that help us?"

"Currently, our Hero of Time is absent, correct?" said Rauru. The group nodded – this was fairly evident enough. "According to the legend, no one but the Hero of Time may wield the Master Sword – a Sage can touch the Master Sword or even hold it long enough to give it to the Hero of Time. But they can only hold it for so long before the sword becomes too heavy for even someone of Darunia's size and strength to lift it."

"That's a well-known fact amongst the Sages," said Zelda.

"BUT there is one exception. The one who forged the Master Sword and intended it to be used by the Hero of Time was a very wise man and knew all-too-well that there may be certain times when the Hero of Time was unable to use the sword. For example, when he was a small boy, he was held in the Sacred Realm until he was of age. There are also side-legends that pertain to the early unexpected death of the Hero, if there Hero happened to be a woman, and the like. But currently the Hero is ALIVE, just detained. Hence, he is still connected to the sword and recognized as the Hero of Time."

"I don't get it - what are you alluding to Mr. Rauru?" asked Malon.

"It's actually quite simple," said Rauru. "The sword is so in-tune with Link that it knows whom Link trusts and does not trust. The sword also recognizes when its wielder is in distress or otherwise unable to use it. In this event, the sword will make an exception and allow someone very close to the Hero of Time who is NOT one of the Sages use the sword until the Hero of Time is able to."

"Are you suggesting Malon takes up the Master Sword?" asked Zelda.

"Possibly. I can see it in her eyes – she loves him and I'm sure he loves her in return." Malon bit her bottom lip as she listened. Was she really expected to be a part of this crazy adventure? "None the less, he has chosen her to be his mate because he must have felt some sort of a connection  
with her. This connection could allow her to take his place until we find him, at which point Link would resume his role."

Malon frowned. "I've never used a sword in my life."

"We can work on that," said Zelda.

"That isn't the only weapon he could use – Link is something of a 'jack-of-all-trades' when it comes to weaponry," said Impa, a wry grin on her face. "Deku Nuts, Deku Sticks, slingshot, bombs, Bombchus, boomerang, hookshot, bow and arrow, hammer, longshot, Lens of Truth, two kinds of gauntlets, and the Mirror Shield. Then there's the boots and tunics. . . the boots may be a problem but the tunics would probably fit you like a dress, which would be good enough."

"Um. . . I can use a bow and arrow?" Malon offered.

"You can also get away with bombs, Bombchus, Deku Nuts, Deku Stick, and the Lens of Truth without much trouble," said Impa. "The slingshot and boomerang you might not be able to use, however – they are meant for small hands, and Link used both when he was a child. The bow and arrow and the two shots were used when he was older. If that made any sense."

"Not really, but I'll take your word for it," said Malon.

"Good, because Link's travels involved a substantial amount of time travel," said Zelda. "Using the Temple of Time and the Master Sword, he was able to go back and forth between the two time periods – he would have never freed Nabooru if he hadn't and possibly Impa as well."  
Impa snorted. "He could've done it without the Lens of Truth."

"What's a Lens of Truth?" Malon asked.

"It allows you to see through false walls and see invisible structures – it makes MUCH more sense to have it in your hands," said Zelda. "Hopefully we won't need to go too far into most of the temples, save the Water Temple. That may require some investigation."

"Before we do anything, however, I would suggest that you and Ms. Malon are properly equipped for travel," said Impa. "You're both wearing dresses, and it will be difficult to fight wearing those, should a need arise to do as such. However, I will let you decide if Malon should try to draw the Master Sword before we leave the Temple."

"I would recommend a brief trip to the castle first – Malon and I may need to speak in private," said Zelda. Malon wasn't sure what the princess was going to talk with her about, but she nodded anyways. The princess then turned to the Light Sage. "Rauru? Please contact Kaepora Gaebora for us – we may need his assistance as well, since I trust you will be keeping an eye on Ganondorf for us in the Sacred Realm? Also, I am under the impression Navi wishes to travel with us if that is all right with you."

"Of course – she came to the Sacred Realm of her own free will and has the right to leave at her leisure," said Rauru. "And I've done quite well with keeping Ganondorf at bay on my own – his powers have been significantly reduced and it's almost pitiful to see him as he is now. Navi's help is not required and she may leave if she wishes."

"I'm not going to just let him go and get kidnapped! Of course I'm coming!" said Navi. She took a seat on Malon's shoulder. "I'm going to find that Dark Link and rip him a new one with the old Fairy One-Two!" She then gave a battle cry and flew straight towards the Temple's exit.

Zelda smiled. "Well, she certainly is a lively little fairy, isn't she?"

"Yes, but methinks her mouth is bigger than her body," said Impa. The Sheikah woman stared at the Temple of Time's exit, tapping her fingers on her folded arms. "Let's hope she also knows how to keep it shut, else wise we may be in for a long journey."


	4. Chapter Three

Beneath the Surface  
By Dixxy  
Chapter Three

"Do they fit?"

Malon nodded dumbly. Zelda had brought the farm girl to her bedroom, where she had searched through her wardrobe for more travel-worthy clothing. Now, several minutes later, the two women had changed and were looking into the tall, full-length mirror in the princess' bedroom.  
Though Zelda was very much a princess, she was also able to hold herself in far more modest apparel than the beautiful silk dress she had worn earlier. She now wore black riding pants and boots with a white blouse covering her top. She had removed all of her jewelry save her earrings and opted to keep her hair cascading down her back. Over her blouse, she had fasted a heavy plum vest, over which she slung a dainty looking bow and a quiver of long, thin arrows. Undoubtedly, the adventure from seven years earlier had prompted her to keep up with basic battle skills such as these.

Malon could barely recognize herself, however. Zelda had fitted her with a deep red body-suit and ankle-high leather walking boots. A cream-colored tunic much like the ones Link always wore had been slipped over her head and fasted in place with a brown leather belt. Zelda had then braided Malon's hair and tied it with her favorite yellow scarf. Though the outfit was still very innocent and girlish, it made her seem more like a traveling ranger than a simple farm-girl. She played with the braid, wondering why Zelda had decided to fix her hair. Wasn't she going to be traveling across Hyrule? So then why did she need to doll herself up? "The braid isn't for decoration – it's practical. You'll need your hair out of the way if you're going to learn hand-to-hand combat."

Malon bit her bottom lip. "But what if I can't?"

Zelda had winked. "I have a feeling it'll be easier than you think."

Malon sat on the bed and looked at where she had left her previous clothing folded neatly on Zelda's bed. "I still don't know about all this, Zelda," she said. "I know Link – he's such a strong man. I don't know if I'm up to filling his shoes. In fact, I know I can't! I've tried before back at the ranch and I can tell you from experience that his feet are much bigger than my own!"

"You also have very small feet," Zelda pointed out. "However, I think that you possess an inner strength you're ignoring, Malon. I may not know many of my subjects, but I do know that few of them would have gotten even as far as you have now if they were faced with the same circumstances. Most would have hobbled off to a bar and whittled away their money on wine or worse. Coming here was very brave and you have my eternal respect."

Though she was flattered that Princess Zelda respected her, Malon frowned before voicing her next question. "Zelda, what did you want to speak with me in private about?" she asked. "I didn't say anything about until we were in private, which we are now. Even Navi isn't here right now. So. . . what do you need to say?"

"As I said, much of this quest involves the Water Temple," said Zelda. "Do you recall Impa's warning of never speaking to Ruto about where Link proposed to you?" Malon hesitated to think about it, then nodded. "Princess Ruto is the Water Sage, and as I'm sure you have guessed, she is linked to the Water Temple."

"Princess? But I thought-"

Zelda smiled. "You haven't had much chance to notice, but the Sages are representative of all of Hyrule. Rauru, the Light Sage, is Hylian, and Impa, the Shadow Sage, is Sheikah. Those are two of the six races that inhabit Hyrule. The remaining races are Gorons, Kokiri, Gerudos, and the Zoras. The Goron you saw appears to be a Dark Darunia, the Fire Sage and the leader of the Gorons. Though I suppose you would compare him to a 'king', his official title is Big Brother. The Gerudos elect a Queen unless a male is currently among them, the Kokiri have a 'boss' and the Zoras have a king. Ruto is the daughter of their current king."

"So she's a Zora – that makes sense," said Malon. "Then the Forest Sage is a Kokiri and the. . . Spirit Sage? . . . is a Gerudo. All right, so Princess Ruto is a Zora and the Water Sage. I'm still not following you, Zelda. I know we need to work with the Sages, but why rule out Ruto? Is she difficult to work with?"

"Oh, not necessarily. But there is a very specific reason Impa warned you about the Water Sage and never letting her hear about where Link proposed to you. In addition to being a Sage, Ruto was also in possession of the Zora's Sapphire, one of the three Spiritual Stones. What I didn't realize when I sent Link to find the stones, and what Link didn't realize either, was that the stone is considered to be something of an engagement ring amongst the Zora royal family."

Malon felt a sickening lurch in her stomach. "Excuse me?"

"In essence, Link was briefly 'engaged' to Ruto, though he didn't realize what he did until much later – probably while he was in the Water Temple," said Zelda. "Now, before you tear Link a new door, he did return all of the Spiritual Stones, including the Zora Sapphire, thereby ending any engagement he had to the Zora princess. Trouble is, she only gave the stone to Link because he had rescued her from an adventure within the bowels of the Zora's god, a giant fish named Lord Jabu-Jabu. She probably fell in love with him as a result, and having him return the stone may have broken her heart. Though many years have passed since then, I will warn you – Ruto might not warm up to you once she realizes you two are pledged to marry. THAT is why she doesn't know where you accepted his love. Though she doesn't realize it NOW, it IS an intimate place for her."

"Oh Link, why did you have to do that?"

"He was probably afraid that playing the Serenade of Water elsewhere would cause the two of you to warp there and raise some questions he doesn't want to answer," said Zelda, laughing. "It IS a lovely song and a very romantic one at that. I'm also sure he didn't count on encountering Ruto ever again, either."

"Well, it HAS been a long time," said Malon. "Maybe she found someone else?"

"Oh, I hope so," said Zelda, sounding slightly worried. "The last thing I want is the two of you to start arguing over Link. But the reason I wanted to mention this to you in private because, well, most of this adventure was my fault to begin with, and that included the incident with the Zora Sapphire. Please don't harbor any ill feelings against Link – quite frankly he had no idea what he was doing and neither did I. If you must be angry with someone, it should be me. I was the one who sent him to find the Spiritual Stones and it's my fault he ever encountered Ruto and ended up her fiancé."

"But you were only trying to help, right?"

"True enough. . . but I'm sure that his journeys through the Temples will be the result of many of the nightmares he will encounter for the rest of his life," said Zelda. She turned to Malon. "Years from now, as the two of you are lying in bed, he may very well awaken one evening in a cold sweat, frightened of long dead monsters or battles with the King of Thieves. In a way, this journey may very well help you cope with those evenings, for now you know why he dreams these horrible things. I wanted to prepare you for that, should the day ever come. I can't help but feel all of this is very unfair to you and I wanted to give you any emotional advantage I can."

"I will do nothing but support him if he needs me," said Malon. She smiled. "I love Link. I don't know anyone else like I know Link and I know that he knows me very well, too. He's done so much to protect me from whatever scares me or makes me ill, and now it's my turn to take care of him. I know he loves me and I know he misses me as much as I miss him, if not more than that."

Zelda smiled. "Yes. You are right." She stood, brushed off her pants, and headed for the door. "Impa and Navi will be waiting for us at the front gate. This time, bring Epona with you – we won't be returning to the castle for some time, and we will be traveling quite some distance."

"Distance?"

"How does trekking across Hyrule and back again sound to you?"

Malon's eyes widened. "That far?"

"Well, just getting to Nabooru will bring us to Gerudo Valley, and Lake Hylia is not far from there. . ." said Zelda. Malon's eyes widened in surprise. "And this is only to find and re-awaken the Sages – along the way we'll be spending a lot of time trying to just figure out where Dark Link and those blasted evil twins are holding him."

_That WAS a good point_, Malon thought. Hyrule was a big country, all right, but there weren't too many places a group looking like that would go unnoticed, especially if they were toting along a captive. Unless. . . "Princess Zelda, do you even think Link is still in Hyrule?"

Zelda paused at the door, lowering her head. "That I do not know."

* * *

_. . . where am I? _

Slowly, Link opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by darkness. Nowhere could his eyes catch even a glimmer of light, and mild panic began to set in. How did he get here? Why wasn't he asleep in his own bed at the ranch? Wasn't he working in the stables with the horses?

_But then. . . Dark Link. . . _

"MALON!" he shouted, memories flooding back to him as he recalled the ambush at the ranch. Slowly stepping backwards and keeping in mind he had no weapons on hand, Link tried to see through the darkness surrounding him. Aside from his own breathing, he heard nothing and couldn't see his own hand infront of his face.

_What's going on here?_ he wondered. _Dark Link of all things shouldn't have attacked me – I'd expect to see Ganondorf before I saw him again! I destroyed him in the Water Temple, didn't I? _Realization made Link see the error in his train of thought. _But that never happened here – none of my adventures in the Temples ever took place. So therefore I DIDN'T destroy Dark Link. _

Another thought occurred. _But. . . wasn't he an incarnation of Ganondorf's evil?_

His hand struck a wall, and Link turned around to feel the wall. Nodding to himself, he began to feel the wall up and down, eventually gripping something rounded and metal. Apon further investigation, Link realized it was an unlit torch. _Some light might be nice_, he mused. _I wonder if Din's Fire will light it?_ Carefully, Link lifted his hand to the top of the torch and closed his eyes, concentrating on the fiery powers of Din.

The sound of a flame sent Link's hand away from the flame, and he smiled to see the small fire was now lighting his small prison. Satisfied with his work, Link turned again to give the room a better look now that he could see what he was doing there.

Much to his disappointment (or relief – which he wasn't entirely sure of), the room was very plain in appearance – dank, dark-grey brick walls surrounded him on all sides, and there were no doors or windows in sight. Several piles of hay surrounded the room, and in one corner there was a small pit that he guessed was meant to be used a latrine. Looking up, Link saw an infinite blackness and no sign of an actual ceiling.

"So maybe the exit is up there?" he wondered aloud. Link tested the walls around him and saw no possible footholds with which he could use to scale the walls with. Furthermore, some of the walls appeared to be coated with a slick, slimy ooze that was so slippery he could not so much as give a gentle tap without his finger loosing its place.

_What a strange place_, he thought. Sighing, he sat down. _Well, it looks like I'll be here a while – if Dark Link wanted me dead he and his two buddies would have done it back at the ranch with Malon watching – maybe even killing her, too. _Link put his face in his hands as she slid to the floor. _Oh Malon, I'm so sorry I had to put you through all this. _

Speaking of Malon, Link wondered if she'd gotten to Princess Zelda yet. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious and was only briefly aware that he'd been somehow knocked out as soon as he had said his last good-bye to his fiancé. Hopefully Dark Link and. . . well, Dark Darunia and Dark Rauru, he supposed. . . didn't understand or overhear his instructions (or, if they did, didn't understand them or care).

Furthermore, he hoped Malon got the message and was able to sing Zelda's Lullaby at the castle gates. Somehow, he had a feeling that the guards might be a little suspicious of her, but figured that they would let Zelda and Impa handle it. As it was Malon knowing the song would certainly get the princess' attention.

"So. . . I see you're awake."

Link looked around, but saw no one. "Who's there?!" he demanded. He got to his feet, though he wasn't sure what good that would do – he could use most any weapon anyone gave him, but he was somewhat lacking in hand-to-hand combat skills – even Malon knew that. _At least I still have Din's Fire. . . or at least I will as long as I still have some of my magic reserves. . . _

"Oh, would you relax? I'm not going to kill you!" Link spun around to see none other than his evil twin standing before him. Link stared at his other half in awed stupor. How in the name of the goddesses did he get in here?! Two plausible answers entered Link's head. _There must be some sort of a secret passageway in here. . . or he just magically warped himself here. . . _

Dark Link began to walk in a semi-circle around Link, eyeing him the entire time. "So, I see you've at least made yourself at home – I'm impressed by the Din's Fire torch – we don't want our precious Hero of Time wandering around in the dark, now do we?" Link snarled and considering spitting at his captor. Dark Link clucked his tongue and waved his index finger in disapproval. "Touchy, touchy."

"What do you want!?" Link snapped.

"The same thing I wanted last time, but as Aldezea pointed out that I failed because she and the rest of our brothers and sisters were foolish enough to think that I alone would be able to handle you," he said. He growled, then slammed Link into the wall. Unable to fight back without so much as a Deku Seed on his person, Link could only struggle against Dark Link's clenched fist. "That was an EMBARASSMENT! I've waited a LONG TIME for them to even LOOK at me the same way!"

"YOU'RE the one who was working for Ganondorf!" Link countered. "What did you THINK I was going to do to you? Invite you over to my house so we could play tea party? I don't think so! It was my duty as the Hero of Time to make sure Ganondorf didn't take Hyrule! Of COURSE I was going to kick the ass of any of his minions! And when I get out of here I'll kick it AGAIN!"

By the link on Dark Link's face, Link realized he had been sorely mistaken. "Ganondorf? GANONDORF!? You think this is about GANONDORF!?" Dark Link said before he began to laugh, effectively dropping Link. The Hero of Time, from his position on the floor, looked up at his evil twin in confusion. "Oh, no, no, no, my brothers and sisters and I have NOTHING to do with that snail monger. What we're after is something much, much bigger."

Link got to his feet and raised an eyebrow. "The Triforce?"

Once again, Dark Link looked less than impressed – evidently, he was wrong again. "Are ALL you Hylians THAT one-track minded?" Dark Link asked with wide eyes. "No, I don't want your stupid Triforce! Oh sure it's a nice, powerful little trinket but personally I could care less if it was my personal paperweight. This isn't ABOUT the Triforce, dear Link."

"Then tell me, Dark Link, what IS this about?" Link asked.

"My name isn't 'Dark Link' it's Kiln!" he said.

Link thought this over. "That's still an acronym of my name."

Kiln growled. "Shut up. I didn't choose my name and none of my brothers and sisters got to choose theirs, either. I happen to LIKE my name, thank you very much – 'Dark Link' is a stupid little nickname you've attached to me and if I were you I would drop it before I change my mind about sparing your life. You ARE defenseless, after all – no weapons, no Master Sword, not even that stupid Ocarina of Time can help you now!"

Link raised his hand, a fireball floating above his palm. He held it towards Dark Link, narrowing his eyes in anger. "And what do you call this? I might not have any weapons on me, but I've still got my magic! Nayru's Love, Farore's Wind, and of course you remember Din's Fire?"

Kiln paled, recalling the fires of Link's magical attacks very well. "Okay, so you can still use some of your magic. But how long would your magic last in a fight? Not very long, I'd imagine. Your pool is very weak – you can use whatever spell you can learn but you always have to recharge. What good does that do you, anyways? Once your magic reserve is used up, don't think you'll find anything to recharge with."

"What are you and your siblings planning to do, anyways?" asked Link.

"How stupid do you think I am? How do I know you won't escape or get rescued – though both events I seriously doubt will happen – you have no idea how to get out of here, none of the Sages know where we're holding you, and they won't know until its too late. But I'm not going to take any chances – only a fool would take such a high-risk gamble. No, Link, I'm not going to tell you anything until I am certain that there will be no way for you to keep us from reaching out goal." From there, Kiln stuck his tongue out at Link.

Link tried to counter his twin with a punch, but failed miserably and was promptly kneed in the stomach with a lot more force than he would have expected Dark Link to have been capable of. Link cried out as his fell to the floor, clutching his sore abdomen as Kiln stood laughing above him. _I can't let him win. . . I have to find out what his plans are before he destroys all of Hyrule! But how can I stop him when I don't even know where I am?!  
_

_Oh Malon, please get to Zelda before it's too late! _

* * *

When Zelda, Impa, Navi, and Malon arrived back at the Temple of Time, Rauru was waiting by where the Door of Time once stood. He nodded to Malon, and gestured for her to step forward. "You look very lovely, dearest Malon, and I am sure that you will be the cause of many loving stares from your soon to be husband," he said warmly. "If I was a few hundred years younger, I might be jealous."

"I'm flattered," said Malon, gliding up the few stairs leading to the doorway. Rauru nodded and stepped into the darkness. Malon stopped once the man was out of view. She turned back to Zelda, who gave her a gentle nod and urged her to go forward. Gulping, Malon cautiously walked into the black.

Several steps later, Malon found herself in an oddly well-lit chamber. It was not as large as the entire temple, and was even more bare, save fore the pedestal in the very center of room. There, resting in this pedestal, was what must have been the Master Sword, the weapon of the Hero of Time.

The blade itself was something to see. Its hilt was crafted of a smooth, periwinkle stone that seemed to try and frame the blade it held with what almost looked like two waterfalls, or perhaps wings, and an amber jewel directly at the base of the blade. The blade itself was a near glistening white metal with edges that seemed both menacing yet beautiful at the same time. Despite the sword's beauty, there was no mistaking that this sword was meant to deal fatal blows to anything that tried to harm Hyrule.

"Is this really Link's sword?" she asked.

"Yes," said Rauru, who was standing behind it. "Step forward. Don't be shy – the sword doesn't bite and I doubt it would harm the one its  
wielder had chosen to marry. Don't be afraid, now." Malon nodded, and stepped before the blade so she and Rauru were once again at eye level.

"The next part is simple – grab the sword and try to remove it from the pedestal.""That's it?" said Malon.

"Just up and out, my dear," said the Sage.

Malon nodded, gently wrapping both hands around the hilt. As she did, she immediately felt a sense of unrest and nearly doubled over from the sensation. Rauru leaned forward to help, but no sooner had the strange sensation start did Malon feel it fade, and stood off her own accord.

"Perhaps it was just the sword getting used to me?" she asked.

"That, or one of two things – one, you and Link aren't as close as your thought, or two, what you just sensed is how Link's feeling right now. Personally, I'm hoping for the later – he may be miserable, but at least that would mean he's alive," said Rauru. Malon wasn't sure if she should cheer up at this piece of information or not, though the idea that he was alive was comforting.

Now more determined that ever, Malon closed her eyes and pulled.

With great ease, the sword came cleanly from the pedestal. But, the force of Malon's own strength caused her to topple backwards. She cried out in surprise, dropping the sword as she landed on her bottom a few feet away. As she sat up, she gently rubbed the sore spot while Rauru simply gave her a knowing smile.

"Take good care of him, young lady," said Rauru. "He may be able to fight monsters, awaken Sages, and restore peace to Hyrule, but never break his heart, for I'm sure it's a fragile one." With that, Rauru's form began to shimmer with a golden light. . . and gradually fade from view.

"Rauru!" Malon called.

"I must return to the Sacred Realm!" he called. "Take the Master Sword and leave this room – I shall close the door behind you and re-open it when you return with the other Sages, and once more when you return in the arms of your lover!" With one last witty and warm smile, Rauru vanished, leaving Malon alone with the sword at her side.

Malon stared at the spot where Rauru had stood for several moments before scrambling to her feet. She shook her head, trying to calm herself as she thought about what had just transpired. Before she could get much further, however, something dropped into her hands. She yelped in surprise as she fell to the ground once again. Growling in frustration, she looked down at what was in her hands and realized it was one last "gift" from Rauru.

Sitting in her hands was a blue and gold sheath. Malon's eyes widened as she looked at it, running her hands gently over the smooth metal surface. The designs were intricate, clearly mimicking the mark of Hyrule's Royal Family along its gold encrusted border. However, it was not a perfect piece – towards the pointed end of the sheath, a piece of linen had been wrapped tightly around the end, perhaps hiding a scratch mark from the rest of the world.

Sheath in hand, Malon scurried over to where she had dropped the Master Sword. Nervously, she wrapped her fingers around the sword and felt the same sickening sensation come over her._ Oh Link, I hope this means you're alive. . . No. I KNOW you're alive – and I'm going to find you! _Sheathing the blade, Malon placed the leather strap over her shoulder, stood, and walked back towards the main room.

Through the door, Malon saw Zelda, Navi, and Impa waiting patiently for her return. Impa was leaning against the Spiritual Stone altar while Zelda was polishing a sword of her own with Navi hovering over her shoulder. Though very pretty and well-crafted, it did not look as threatening as her own blade – it almost seemed as if it were a child's toy, but she decided against it. Perhaps this blade had other uses?

No sooner did Malon step away from the chamber did she hear the Door of Time suddenly replace itself. She yelped in surprise, turning around and stumbling backwards as she stared at it in surprise. "Oh my!" she said, then yelped as she nearly fell backwards over the altar.

"Oh silly, sweet Malon, you must try to relax a little bit – jumping at the slightest thing will do you nor Link any good," Zelda said with a smile. Malon smiled back and saw Navi rush to her side, taking a seat on the farm girl's shoulder. The fairy smiled at her, who in return politely smiled back.

"Before we leave the city, we also have a gift for you," said Impa. She presented to Malon a Hylian Shield she had failed to notice apon her exit.

"This is the same shield Link used for most of his adventure – his other shield is known as the Mirror Shield and it has special properties."

"It's also back in the Spirit Temple," said Zelda. "While we were talking, Impa did some hunting around the library and discovering that, since none of the weapons were being used anymore, they all returned to where they came from, or, a Temple close to where they came from."

"Somehow I doubt King Zora will let us look for a boomerang inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu and I believe that the old Deku Tree is so rotted-out that it is no longer possible to enter within," said Impa. "Most likely the boomerang and slingshot can be found in the Water and Forest Temples respectively." Malon's eyes widened at both of these prospects. Suddenly, she was very glad she didn't need to search in a large fish or a rotted tree.

_But are the Temples any better, old Malon? _

* * *

Before long, Zelda led the small group out of the city and onto Hyrule Field. By this point it was midday and very likely that they would not get very far even with the three women were traveling on horseback and Navi riding on Malon's shoulder. Hyrule Field was a big place, and it would take at least a day and a half to cross it. Nightfall came and went as the group camped out in the open, each member of the party taking a watch while the remaining three slept., and Malon looked down at Epona, thinking of her home. _Maybe we can just quickly say good-bye to Daddy before we go. . . _

Malon quickly tossed the thought out of her head. No time to waste on that – there was no telling what the Dark Sages and Dark Link had planned for their captive, and time was something they didn't have a lot of. She and Link would explain everything to her father when they returned home.

_Still. . . is he all right? _

"Ms. Zelda?" Malon asked. Zelda turned her head to Malon, giving her permission to ask. "I. . . I just want to ride past the ranch to see if my father is all right. I'm worried that he didn't wake up after being drugged as he was. I just need to hear if there's any human activity on the ranch."

"I have already sent several attendants to the ranch," said Zelda. "Your father is doing well, and these attendants will tend to the farm in your absence on my orders. He has no idea what has happened to you and your beloved. I wrote him a letter explaining that, due to circumstances out of your control and my own that an emergency has arisen and it will be a while before either of you return."

"And I thought you didn't like lying," said Navi.

"I didn't – we had no way to predict this, hence it was out of our control. It is an emergency, and it will be some time before Malon and Link return to the ranch," said Zelda, smiling wryly. She giggled. "I gave a similar explanation to my father, though he believes that as long as Impa is with me everything will be all right."

"So even he doesn't know about any of this?" asked Malon, raising an eyebrow.

"He was killed in the other timeline," Zelda said quietly. She sighed. "Besides, he never listens to me about these kinds of things – even now he still sees me as a child, but he is getting older – he will eventually die or retire and leave the kingdom in my hands. Though Impa and several members of the court have spent years teaching me things to become a proper ruler and many believe I will be a good one, my father has his doubts."

"Do you?" asked Malon.

"A few," said Zelda.

Malon smiled. "Well, I'm just a farm girl and I think you'll be a good queen."

"Thank you, Malon," said Zelda, giving her a warm smile.

And as they passed Lon-Lon Ranch an hour later, Malon gave the only home she had ever known one last smile before she and the small party continued their trek to the Lost Woods._ Good-bye, Daddy. Link and I will be home real soon, okay? And don't forget. . .  
_

_. . . I'll always love you._

* * *

Author's Notes

Something to know about me – just because I don't update a fic for a while doesn't mean I've given up on it. In this case, I just kinda. . . forgot? Plus, even though I did get _Twilight Princess_ I kinda ran through it so. . .

Anyways, here you go. Sorry for the wait!

-Dixxy


	5. Chapter Four

Beneath the Surface  
By Dixxy  
Chapter Four

The group took camp just outside of the entrance to the Lost Woods the next day – even on horseback, Hyrule was a huge country and it took a while to cross. Though Malon took this into consideration, she was still worried – counting the kidnapping as "day one", it was now the close of "day five". How much longer would it take before they were able to find her beloved?

There was a small, natural rock "hallway" that led to a large, hollow tree-trunk that the fairy had identified as the entrance to the Lost Woods and Kokiri Forest, and it was here that the group had made a small camp. Due to the lateness of the hour and the likelihood that Saria (who, according to Zelda, was the Forest Sage) and the other Kokiri children were in bed, it was decided that they, too, would sleep.

Malon found herself more than exhausted. The past few days had been very exhausting, and her fatigue was beginning to take its toll. Little by little, she felt her strength draining from all of the emotional distress she had been under – the previous night was the first she had not cried herself to sleep, though it had taken a very long time for slumber to take her in.

Dinner had consisted of exactly what they had eaten for every meal over the past two days – bread, cheese, jerky, and water, as those foods were the easiest to transport. Tonight, it was eaten quietly – all conversation topics had quickly dwindled down to nothing, as they had already explored many possible answers to the few clues they held. It would not be until they found little Saria that they would have another topic to discuss.

Navi had told Malon about Saria, and by all means she sounded like a good "kid". She had been Link's best friend while he had lived amongst the Kokiri and stuck by his side even when a snot-nosed brat by the name of Mido had teased him for not having a fairy until Navi had shown up. She was also well-respected and liked by the rest of the children, enjoyed playing the ocarina, and did nothing but support Link during the few parts of his journey that their paths crossed.

Still, how would she take to her best friend growing up and getting married?

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the fair Princess Zelda, Lady Impa and Ms. Malon!"

All three women (and Navi) jumped at the sound of the strange voice. After spending several moments searching for the source, Malon saw a VERY large owl perched on a nearby tree, looking down at them with great interest. "You must be Mr. Kaepora Gaebora!" Malon exclaimed.

Zelda smiled. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Well, pardon me, but it takes a while to find a small band of travelers crossing Hyrule Field, so I decided I would wait for you in this area," he replied calmly. He then directed his attention to Malon. "Ah, and you are the soon to be Mrs. Hero of Time. How do you do?"

"As well as can be expected of this situation," she replied.

Kaepora Gaebora, being an owl, was unable to show too much emotion. "Well, I suppose that was a stupid question – I can see you're very worried about Link, but do not fear – even as a child he was a tough boy and I'm sure that wherever he is he's doing well enough to survive," he said. He then turned back to Zelda. "Well? What orders do you have for me, Your Highness?"

"Please, call me Zelda," she insisted. She closed her eyes in thought, then nodded her head. "Please speak with the Great Fairie atop Death Mountain – I would like her to be informed of the situation. Tell her that she should expect us to arrive within the next two weeks – it would be beneficial if Malon was granted the magical spells, arrows, and abilities Link had during his quest."

Images of Link wearing a sorcerer's robe and hat entered Malon's head. In her head, wizard Link was carrying a wand, pointing it, and shooting colored sparks out from its end. The thought was almost comical, but somewhat confusing. "Magic? Is Link a sorcerer?"

"Yes, magic, and no, Link isn't exactly a sorcerer," said Zelda. "Link was granted an increase in defensive power, sword magic, three kinds of magical arrows, and three magical spells that stem from the power of the goddesses themselves. Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love. Initially Link had to visit several of the fairies, but the leader of the fairies may be kind enough to lend you all of them for this journey – more than likely Link still possess this magic – save for the arrows – but has had no need to use it.

"But you can't use magic indefinitely," said Impa. "If he's trying to fight back using Din's Fire, he'll eventually run out of power and won't be able to use any more until he finds a way to replenish that power. Hence, time is of the essence, but Link isn't an idiot – he won't use it stupidly and I'm sure he'll be saving his magic for a likely escape chance."

The idea that Link could use magic instantly made Malon feel a little better – at least he wasn't defenseless! But now they wanted her to use magic, too? Malon whimpered – this was getting more and more confusing and difficult by the minute. Granted, she never expected it to be easy, but magic?  
"Unless you have any other errands to run, I'll be off to Death Mountain," said Kaepora. The three woman shook their heads, and after wishing him luck, the owl took off into the night sky. Malon watched the great bird until he disappeared over the horizon, her eyes feeling heavy as he faded away in the black. . .

* * *

"Zelda, don't people who enter the Lost Woods never come out?" asked Malon, who was now staring curiously into the black tree trunk. Today, the small party would enter the woods, sans their horses – they would be left tied to a tree next to a small pond nearby so they could drink, and an open bag of feed was left for each horse. So they would be okay.

But Malon recalled the many stories she had heard surrounding the Lost Woods as they stood at its gate, and even if it meant saving Link, she wasn't sure if she wanted to enter within. "I've heard they become horrible skeleton creatures who terrorize those who will become the NEXT horrible skeleton creatures."

"Oh, that's not true," said Zelda. "There's also a silly legend about Kokiri dying upon leaving the forest, but it's also false. It's mostly a matter of keeping the Kokiri protected from the outside by keeping outsiders out and keeping the children within the safe boundaries of the forest. If that were true then Link would have not been able to live in the forest when he was younger!"

Navi seemed to ponder this. "But when Link and I were in the woods we saw someone in there and then we never saw him again. Didn't HE become a Stalfos?" she asked. Zelda shook her head. "All right, Ms. Princess, then what do YOU propose happened to him?"

"He got lost," she said. "The woods are big and every room does look identical, but if one picks a direction and stays with it they will eventually find an exit. In the Sacred Forest Meadow there is a fountain of very helpful fairies, as well as passageways to both Goron City and Lake Hylia. In fact, I have been told some of the Gorons have been mapping the Lost Woods and navigating it well-enough to rescue anyone who has become, well, lost."  
"I suppose that makes some sense," said Malon.

"At least we'll be able to get Saria out without her spontaneously exploding or something," Navi thought aloud. Malon's eyes widened in alarm at the idea of a poor child exploding, but somehow, this seemed like the kind of banter that escaped Navi's lips on a regular occasion. "What?"

"How about we spend less time talking about Saria exploding and more time finding Link?" Impa said through gritted teeth. In response, Navi stuck her tongue out at Impa, but the Sheikah didn't notice (or, if she did, was choosing to ignore the fairy). Malon guessed this was a good thing for Navi's sake.

"Well, if you will all stop arguing, we must continue," said Zelda, who stepped boldly through the tree trunk. Impa watched as the princess entered, and then followed suit as Navi and Malon watched. Wringing her gloved hands, Malon closed her eyes and stepped through as well.

The walk through the tree trunk was long, as Malon had fully expected. It had been quite dark in the trunk, which meant that it was a long way to the other side, where the Kokiri Forest lay in wait. There, she, Princess Zelda, and Impa would collect Saria and. . . well, look for the next Sage, she supposed.

But, oddly, she didn't hear anything but her own footsteps, which resounded quite loudly within the confines of the tree trunk. Shouldn't she hear Zelda and Impa's footsteps as well? "Navi?" she asked. The blue fairy flew in front of her face, confirming she was still there. "Where are Zelda and Impa?"

". . . I don't know!" she said. "Maybe Zelda was wrong about the magic!"

Malon's eyes widened in alarm. "Then. . . what do you we do?! Are they gone?"

"Looks that way, but I'm not leaving you for a minute!" said Navi. "Just keep walking – the tunnel must end somewhere and I'm sure we'll find an answer there." Malon nodded, Navi took a seat on her shoulder, and the two began to run towards the end of the tunnel.

* * *

The tunnel abruptly spit them out at the edge of what looked like a hedge maze about ten minutes later. Navi groaned in frustration. "Why did it lead us HERE!? We should be in the middle of the Kokiri Forest, not here! ANYWHERE but here! Oh, YOU STUPID FOREST!" Brushing past Malon, the fairy flew to the hedge wall behind then and began to punch and kick. "We have WAY more IMPORTANT things to do than let some STUPID forest play STUPID games with us! UGH!!!"

"Navi, where are we?" Malon asked.

Navi calmed down enough to stop beating the hedge wall, then turned to face Malon. "We're at the beginning of what is known as the Sacred Forest Meadow. It's within this meadow that we'll find the Forest Temple, but getting from here to the Kokiri Forest isn't easy. In fact, I'm not even sure WHY we were separated from Zelda and Impa to begin with. That tree trunk should have led us to a bridge and when we crossed it we should have been in the Kokiri Forest!"

Malon looked around, trying to figure out why such a thing happened. "This forest IS enchanted, isn't it?" she asked. "Even if I won't become a Stalfos, there's still magic here. Maybe the forest wanted us to come here?" She turned to Navi, who seemed to be thinking this over.

During the silence, they could faintly hear the sound of an ocarina in the distance. The little fairy's mood seemed to lighten, which Malon hoped was a good thing. "You're right! The forest definitely wants us here!" said Navi. She spun around in the air. "That sounds like Saria!"

Malon brightened at this idea. Now they were one step closer to finding Link! "So then she's on the other side of the hedge maze, right?" she asked. Navi nodded, and Malon started for the maze before the fairy flew in front of her, shaking her head. "No? Why not?"

"Let me go ahead and check for monsters first, okay?" asked Navi. "There's a fairy fountain nearby, so I'll go unnoticed. A Hylian would create a problem, especially since a lot of the things in the forest don't like grownups. Skull Kids who played with Link when he was a child tried to kill him when he came here after he got bigger – just because you don't magically turn into an evil skeleton warrior doesn't mean the forest isn't a dangerous place."

Malon's eyes widened. "Kill him? But why? Didn't they recognize him?"

"You didn't recognize Link right away after he grew up in the other timeline," said Navi. "And most of the Kokiri didn't, either – only Saria realized who Link was, but then she had to stay in the Chamber of the Sages and now she doesn't remember any of it. Furthermore, Saria might not like you right away – she's a really sweet kid and all, but grown-ups just don't exist in the Lost Woods."

"All right, fair enough – you lead the way," said Malon.

"My pleasure," said the fairy, who darted into the maze. She paused, looked both ways to check for monsters that might try to hurt the still un-trained Malon, and signaled for her companion to follow. Nodding, the ranch girl quickly followed the fairy into the maze.

The hedge maze was a sight to see. The walls extended several feet over Malon's head and not a single leaf was unkempt. The ground beneath her, instead of being a dirt path, was a tick carpet of green grass that grew wild, but was also very tidy in appearance._Do the Kokiri tend to this maze? Certainly it doesn't grow like this naturally. . . or does it? _

_The forest IS magic. . .  
_  
It didn't take Malon very long to figure out that Navi knew the maze very well, for she led her up and down the twisting and turning path, only stopping long enough to make sure she was still behind her before taking off again. . . and checking for monsters. Though used to running and generally exasperating work, Malon was having trouble keeping up with the active little fairy. _How much longer will it be before we're at the end of this maze?  
_  
Malon was happy to have her desire soon granted, but was puzzled to find a stone staircase leading to a long, stone hallway that ended with yet another staircase. Through the strange, unnatural formation, the sound of the ocarina music was much louder and Malon knew they had nearly found little Saria. None the less, why were there stairs here?

"Navi? Why are there-"

"This is where the Forest Temple is. The stairs and a few other stone structures were created when the temple was created by the first Six Sages many centuries ago. Over time they've gotten a little run down, as you'll see when we get to the meadow up ahead. There's a similar set of ruins by Lake Hylia that probably marked some sort of underground tunnel to get to the Water Temple a long time ago. You'd have to ask Rauru about it, though."

"I just might," said Malon. She then began to ascend the staircase, her mind active with fears and thoughts. _Even the structures leading to it are magnificent. . . what is it like inside?_ "So then. . . the Forest Temple is up here. . . are we going inside of it yet, or are we going to wait for Ms. Zelda and Impa?"

"I see no reason to wait for them – Link and I handled the Forest Temple by ourselves, and besides – Saria is nearby. She's the Sage of this Temple, so wandering around with her will be a good thing!" said Navi. She smiled, nodding to Malon once before she prepared to turn around and fly up the stairs.

* * *

Saria's favorite place in the whole world was the small clearing at the far end of the Sacred Forest Meadow, for it was a place few Kokiri ventured to and it made for a lovely place to sit and think. It was a place to be alone, she reasoned, for it was so peaceful and quiet there that much else would seem to be a disturbance to the silent tranquility that this place held. Perhaps, she reasoned, a close friend or two would be all right, but certainly no more than that.

But mostly, she needed to be alone.

This was a need she had nearly every day since Link had left the Lost Woods.

It seemed strange at first, she realized, because she felt like she had already lost him for many years the day he left for good, but she couldn't explain why. She couldn't explain the look in Link's eyes that none of the other Kokiri had ever had before, or even why Navi was no longer at his side. Mido had, of course, jumped on the opportunity until Saria stopped him with a stern hand.

But Link remained nearly emotionless during the whole exchange – he just stared blankly at the Kokiri Forest, his eyes gently looking over every last tree house and child within the woods. Once Mido had left, Saria saw Link in that state and immediately began to mother hen him, asking him where Navi was and why she'd left him – _this must've have been what upset him,_ she thought._ How cruel of Navi to stay with Link for a few months only to leave him by himself after he got attached to her?  
_  
It was what happened next that nearly shattered her soul.

With a sudden movement, Link grabbed Saria in a tight embrace, taking the girl by surprise. She gently returned the embrace, unsure of what was going on or why he had suddenly done such a thing. Was he that upset over the loss of his fairy, or was it something else entirely?

Link told her he was leaving the forest. . . but this time, he would never return. He gave her the ocarina she had given him the day he'd left and smiled, saying that he would never forget her and he was glad he'd been able to be her friend. And then he left the woods.

And, true to his word, Link had not been seen for seven long years.

Only Lola, her fairy, sympathized with Saria over Link's disappearance. Though the Kokiri used to look up to her and view her as something special, they had given her distance since she had begun moping. She was no longer the Kokiri she once was. She was emotionally unstable at the loss of her best friend, and no one but tiny little Lola seemed to care.

Even playing her favorite song didn't cheer her up any more. Though this distraught state didn't hinder her musical talents, it was plain to see that, somewhere deep inside, her spirit was slowly dying as tears flowed down her cheeks and onto the ocarina. They were tears that had stemmed from the strange, inexplicable exit of Link, who had always promised to return to her after he and Navi began to venture outside of the woods. But now that he had promised her he would never return. . .

"YOU!"

Saria looked up suddenly to see that Lola was irate. . . but not with her. There, floating in the middle of the Sacred Forest Meadow, were two lights – one of them was unquestionably little Lola, but the other was a blue fairy that Saria almost didn't recognize. And when she did recognize it. . .

"NAVI!!!" she cried out. Immediately, Saria was on her feet and staring at the fairy anxiously. _Navi. . . that's Link's Navi. . . the one who left him. . . the one who made him leave ME!!! Why did she return after all these years?! Has she come to find Link again, or. . .? _

"There you are!" was Navi's greeting. The fairy tried to fly to the Kokiri, but Lola blocked her way. After several attempts to go around, above, and below the over-protective Lola, the blue fairy started to talk back. "What??? I need to talk with Saria! I know you're her guardian but it's really important I talk to her! So outta my way! PLEASE Lola? PLEASE!? PRETTY PLEASE!?"

"After all you've done, you had the NERVE to come back here!?" Lola snapped.

"What? What do you mean 'after all I've done'? I didn't do anything to her!" Navi protested. She growled. "Lola, please, move – I need to have a word with Saria right away! I don't have a lot of time to be playing games like this so just let me get by!"

"Lola, let her speak," Saria said quietly. Lola froze in midair, allowing Navi to dart past her and flutter before the Kokiri's face. Saria studied the fairy carefully, evaluating the being before her, as if trying to confirm it was Navi and not some sort of cruel dream. "So. . . it is you. . ."

"Yes," said Navi, now much more calm. Lola flew to Saria's shoulder and shot warning glares to the other fairy. "I know you're probably wondering why I've come back after all these years. I'm not really sure what's going on myself, but I know you'll want to hear this." Saria nodded, gently urging the fairy to continue. "The Deku Tree used to tell you legends of the Triforce and the Hero of Time, right?"

"Of course," said Saria, nodding slowly. "And I was also told about the Spiritual Stones and the six Temples scattered across Hyrule. I know they're real, but they're so big. . . monumental. . . but why did you come here asking me about all this? I don't understand, Navi."

"You're one of the Sages."

Saria's eyes widened in surprise and she nearly fell backwards. "I'm WHAT!?" she asked. Lola looked equally surprised, hovering over her charge with worry. "Navi, that's not even funny – I'm just a little Kokiri girl, I'm not some powerful Sage! You shouldn't even joke about that!"

"Each of the Sages are representative from each of the races in Hyrule, so one of them HAS to be a Kokiri," said Navi. She sighed. "Perhaps that wasn't the best place to start, but as I said, there isn't a lot of time. Please, sit down and listen, okay?" Saria and Lola nodded, though her guardian was now eying Navi with a heightened level of suspicion.

"Talk, deserter," said Lola.

Navi scoffed at the comment, but continued on. "As you know, the Hero of Time has the ability to travel back and fourth through time itself – that's why you don't remember any part of being a Sage – it happened in an alternate timeline in which an evil man named Ganondorf controlled all of Hyrule," she said. She cleared her throat. "Seven years ago, the Deku Tree sent me to Link's tree house to exterminate the death curse inside of his trunk. That was because the Deku Tree knew something about Link he didn't tell me or Link. You see. . . Link is the Hero of Time."

"But that's impossible!" Lola snapped. "The Hero is supposed to be-"

"-a Hylian, I know!" said Navi. Now beyond flustered with the other fairy, Link's former guardian began to yell. "Link IS a Hylian! His parents were killed when he was just a baby and the Deku Tree raised him in the forest to protect him until it was time for him to awaken to his destiny, and that's exactly what he did! That's why he didn't have a fairy all those years! That's why I had to leave him! And that's why Link left the forest – because he was going to grow up and he couldn't stay anymore!"

Saria felt a trembling ache inside of her stomach as tears began to pour down her face. Navi and Lola stopped suddenly, watching her cry her eyes out. "But. . . but Link's going to get old now!" she cried. "Getting old is bad! It's not natural! Link can't grow up – he just CAN'T!"

"Saria. . ." said Lola. "Please, don't cry. . ."

Saria didn't pay attention to her fairy. She didn't want all of those awful things to happen to her best friend. That wasn't true! Navi was lying! Link was a Kokiri! He was never going to grow up! He wasn't the Hero of Time, either, and she wasn't a Sage! So why was Navi coming back after all this time just to make her cry?!

In her crying fit, Saria didn't notice someone else enter the meadow, and before she knew what was happening, someone had pulled her close into a protective embrace. She briefly stopped her crying and opened her eyes – she was staring at a cream-colored tunic worn by someone far bigger than any Kokiri she had ever seen. Whoever they were had much larger arms as well.

"It's all right, Saria. . . you don't have to cry. . ."

The voice was deeper, but still somehow sweet and comforting in a way Saria had never experienced before. The arms felt warm and inviting, and Saria hugged the larger person back, burying her face into the stranger's slender shoulder. She didn't care who it was – for all she cared it was this Ganondorf person Navi had talked about. But this person was so kind and gentle and comforting. . .

"Saria. . . I'd like you to meet Malon," Navi said as calmly as possible. The larger person and Saria pulled away, and for the first time Saria saw a face. The face was that of a girl, clearly an aged one, but not so much that her face was wrinkled and grizzly. On the contrary, it was still very smooth and youthful looking, and Saria guessed this person hadn't aged much beyond the point she had.

"Hello," said Saria, who was still sniffling.

Malon smiled as she wiped a fear tears from Saria's cheeks. "Hello, Saria," she said. "Please calm down. . . I know all of this must be upsetting to you. . . I've cried quite a bit myself since I was involved. . . but we have to be strong, all right? Can you do that?"

Slowly thinking it over, Saria nodded.

"Malon is a Hylian just like Link," said Navi. "Furthermore, she knows Link very well – Link's spent the past seven years living with Malon and her father, a man named Talon, in a place called Lon-Lon Ranch." She floated down to Malon's shoulder, landing in the soft red braid that cascaded over one shoulder.

"Why did you bring a Hylian into the Lost Woods? Won't she die?" asked Lola.

"Not according to Princess Zelda," said Navi. "Princess Zelda is a hidden seventh Sage, and she knows quite a bit about the world of Hyrule. The legends about Kokiri leaving and others entering the Lost Woods are false – you can all come and go as you please if you'd like."

"How is that possible?" asked Saria.

"The Deku Tree wanted to protect you – Hyrule is a very dangerous place for little Kokiri children, so it was easier to keep you in the Kokiri forest, where it was safe. There are many monsters out there and he didn't want you to be hurt or worse by any of them," said Navi. "But that won't be a problem – we'll protect you."

"Are you suggesting we LEAVE the Kokiri Forest?" asked Lola.

"I'm not suggesting it – I'm TELLING you that," said Navi.

"Well the answer is 'no'," said Lola.

Navi started to tremble with anger. "That's NOT an option!"

"Says you!"

"If I may cut in!" Malon interrupted. This silenced the two fairies, and Malon continued. "The reason we are asking for your help, Saria, is because you ARE the Forest Sage, and we are located under the entrance to the Forest Temple. Link IS the Hero of Time, but something from his journey has come back and it managed to kidnap him. Trouble is, we don't know what it is that took him."

Saria froze. "Kidnapped?"

"An evil twin of Link's we call 'Dark Link' attacked Lon-Lon Ranch several days ago along with two other evil twins – an evil twin of the Fire Sage and an evil twin of the Light Sage. They threatened to kill Malon if Link didn't surrender himself, but Link didn't leave her without a clue – he sent her to find Princess Zelda, through whom she and the Shadow Sage located me," said Navi.

"And where were you?" asked Lola.

"The Sacred Realm," said Navi.

Lola grumbled something inaudible under her breath.

"I still don't understand exactly what's going on," said Saria, "but if Link's really in trouble. . . I'll do whatever I can to help him. He's my best friend and I really, really miss him. Even if he is going to grow up. I mean, is he still the same person on the inside, or do you change when you get older?"  
Malon stood up, then assisted Saria with the same. "Link is more than a head taller than I am," she said. Saria gasped in amazement. "But Link and I knew each other when we were your size, and he's still just as sweet as ever. Yes, he's grown up, but, well, he's still very much a child at heart. I guess after spending so many years with the Kokiri it's something he'll never quite grow out of, but that's one of the things I love about him."

Saria sighed. "What do we need to do now?" she asked.

"One of two things – figure out where Zelda and Impa went. . ." said Navi. Then, she looked up to the inaccessible entrance to the Forest Temple. "Or we figure out how to get in the Forest Temple without the Hookshot or Longshot, which is going to be a challenge."

"That's easy," said Lola, flying up to the ledge.

"I meant Saria and Malon," said Navi dryly. "If we had either shot, Malon could pick up Saria and get herself up there, but, well, we don't have it right now and I'm not sure where that particular weapon is." She turned to Malon and frowned. "The Hookshot was one of the only weapons Link and I didn't find inside of a Temple or another area with a big monster. We found it in the Kakariko Graveyard after racing the spirit of the old grave keeper there."

Malon froze. "Ghost?"

"Yup. But Dampé was a nice ghost. . . I think. He shot fireballs at Link but he was nice the rest of the time and invited him back. . ." Navi said, seeming a bit confused. "But that's not important, I think. Unless. . . no, if it's in there we're screwed because we'll have no other way to get inside!"

"Unless what?" asked Saria.

"Unless it's in the Shadow Temple," Navi said. She whimpered in frustration. "But we don't have anything to get us INSIDE the Shadow Temple – even Impa couldn't get in there right now and she's the Shadow Sage! So where is that DAMNED Hookshot!?"

"Maybe we need to race the ghost," said Saria.

"I don't wanna get my wings singed again. . ." Navi whined.

"Could we ask Zelda where it is?" asked Malon.

". . . now there's an idea I can work with. . . ask the princess. . ."

Saria blinked. "So. . . where's the princess?"

"That. . . is a good question."

* * *

Author's Notes

I don't know why I named Saria's fairy "Lola". But it is surely better than "Saria's Fairy".

Long time no update, I know. This story isn't usually one of my main focuses. But with my big OP project winding down, that may or may not change. It depends on how things play out.

-Dixxy


End file.
